


A Rival Romance

by FoxInTheHenHouse



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, High School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-03-23 02:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 84,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13777701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxInTheHenHouse/pseuds/FoxInTheHenHouse
Summary: Judy Hopps, star pupil of Bunnyburrow High, is in her senior year. Her future is finally within her grasp. But after nearly a year of dealing with the smug and arrogant Nick Wilde challenging her status at the top, Judy is finding it hard to focus solely on the future and instead being drawn to the moment. And to a certain russet and black tail.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Who didn't just love high school? Well I didn't. However everything is better with Zootopia. So regardless if you enjoyed high school or not, it's about to get a whole lot better. Welcome to my new story of teenage drama. Enjoy the semester.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia. Yet. It's a work in progress. I also do not own High School which is impossible anyway. That's technically a governmental institution and only Disney is more intimidating than them. So Nick, Judy, Sharla, Gideon, and any other characters in the movie do not belong to me, nor do the idea of lockers, teachers, quizzes, exams, or cafeteria ladies and their awful fur nets.

"Hey Hopps! Lookin' good!"

_Again,_  she thought.  _Every year it's the same crap over and over._  Her entire life she had been a bit of an outcast. The odd duck who was obsessed with becoming a police officer. 'A bunny can't do that' she was told. 'It will get you killed' she heard repeatedly. 'Be a farmer like your brothers and sisters' was a particular favorite. It all but made her a pariah and, combined with her ungainly childhood body, floppy ears and large buck teeth, left her behind in the dating scene. Her mother tried to tell her it was just her 'awkward phase' and she'd grow out of it into a beautiful bunny that the boys would fall all over themselves for. She really didn't believe it, but then again she really didn't want to. Dating was never on her priorities since it would just be another obstacle between her and her dream. Being seen as less than desirable may have been a slight mark on her self-esteem but at least it kept others at arm's length, something which she did not mind in the slightest. And then life decided to throw a melon instead of a lemon.

In the summer right before her sophomore year, Judy sprouted. She gained several inches in height, her mouth grew around her teeth in a manner that made them rather fetching, and her ears with their black tips stood tall and firm. She went from a dud bomb to a bomb _shell_  in a matter of weeks. It made plenty of her sisters envious and her brothers get ready to fend off the desperate suitors they knew would come crawling after their little sister. However Judy did not change herself one bit. To her, looks weren't as important as character was. So when several of the more handsome bucks tried to win her over, she sent them and their arrogant personalities packing.

It didn't do much to gain her extra amounts of friends in high school but she didn't really care. Her true friends, some of them who had been there since she was no taller than a large carrot, were all she needed. With them by her side, she could face anything. Although the constant barrage of comments from the males at the track was certainly causing her to grind her teeth.

"Damn Hopps! Those shorts are tight! Givin' me a nice view of that a-" A stern look from a junior Hopps boy had the other junior buck cutting off mid-sentence and hurrying away. Judy sent her brother Harold a smile and a silent 'thank you' to which he replied with a nod and a smile of his own before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

"I'd say you're getting some extra attention this year, Judy." Her best friend, a black wooled ewe named Sharla, sidled up next to the bunny and began to stretch her calves, much as she was already doing. "He was right though. Those track shorts really do accentuate your rear. Quite nicely, too."

"Why Sharla," Judy practically sang while teasing the now blushing sheep. "Are you getting all sweet on me?" Sharla let out an embarrassed bleat before waving her hooves in distress.

"N-no! I most certainly am not! I-!" She stopped as she watched her friend fall to her knees laughing hard enough to be unable to stand. "Oh why you-." Sharla jumped at her friend, the two of them tussling in the grass next to the track. Their little 'fight' lasted only a minute before they broke away, both now giggling madly. "You've been doing the same thing to me since fourth grade!"

"And I'll keep doing it to you because it works," Judy said with a grin splitting her face. "Not my fault you were raised without a censor and feel the need to lift your friend's self esteem." Sharla kicked a clod of grass at her friend only making Judy began laughing all over again, that was until the next round of bucks decided to try their luck at 'impressing' the young doe. Her butt seemed to be her best feature going by all of the shouts sent her way.

Bored and annoyed, Judy set off on jog around the field, her friend keeping pace right beside her. Track season didn't officially start for a few weeks, but the two mammals wanted to get back into the swing of things as it were. Both had kept up with their training regimen over the summer but it didn't hurt to step it up before tryouts. The feel of the running track beneath her foot wraps always helped Judy to unwind, the pounding of her paws matching her heartbeat in rhythm. Today though that rhythm was offset by her irritation and lack of focus.

"I can't believe my senior year has to start like this. Guys ogling my tail just like the last two years." Judy complained, rather frustrated. "You'd think they would have gotten the message by now that I'm not going to just jump into bed with the first good looking buck that whistles at me."

"Well honestly can you blame them?" Sharla was huffing a little heavier than Judy was, but the bunny's natural athletic form and benefit of her species gave her a larger amount of stamina over the sheep. "First off you are probably one of the hottest does in school. That's the popular opinion!" she practically shouted when Judy raised her brow in jest. "I'm not making that claim, dammit. Ugh, every time," she muttered. "Anyway, you've never agreed to more than a few dates which lead nowhere so not only are you beautiful, but you are unclaimed which makes your high school credit skyrocket."

Judy mulled that over a bit as they rounded their first turn. It was true she had rarely ever dated and the ones she  _did_  go on had ended in disaster with either the buck getting fresh and then getting a black eye, or her leaving them at the table when they dismissed her dream job of being a cop. So far not a single buck, or doe for that matter, at Bunnyburrow High had really caught her interest. She had had a fling with her feline friend Bobby Catmull in early junior year, but while it had been a fun couple of weeks, neither of them felt that 'spark' and so parted, though still remaining very close friends. And Judy knew Gareth, Sharla's only slightly older brother, and the huge crush he had on her, but that was never destined to go anywhere which she made clear to him, unwilling to string him along.

"Hey Sharla. Think you'll beat Deerbrooke this year?" The smooth and charismatic voice that flowed to their waiting ears made Judy cringe.  _And then there's Nick friggin Wilde._  Her silent wishes that her friend would ignore the honeyed words and keep jogging went unacknowledged, the black ewe stopping in her tracks and her hooves coming up to hide her cheeks which were blushing hard enough to be seen even through the dark wool.

"H-hey, Nick." Sharla, much like almost every other girl in the school, prey and pred alike, was smitten with the lean red fox. It wasn't their fault though. Besides being ridiculously attractive, the tod seemed able to win over anyone and everyone he wanted to. "I-I think we have a good shot this year. My c-cousin Stacy is joining the team and she's like  _super_  fast."

"That's cool." Green eyes tracked over the ewe before continuing on to the gray mammal slightly ahead of her. He smirked at the way the bunny staunchly refused to turn around even though her friend had stopped. Dropping the soccer ball he currently held in his paws, Nick began juggling it with his hind paws, the movement fluid and well controlled. The sight of Judy's ears twitching with each kick made his grin larger. "Well hello, Carrots. I almost didn't see you there without that brooding and scowling face you normally send my way. Warming up to me, Hopps?"

How Nick Wilde came to be Judy's arch-nemesis was almost text book. Judy had been top of her class in academics, star of the track team, suddenly elevated to a popularity reserved for the beautiful and untouchable. Though she acted indifferent to all the attention from both bucks and does alike, she would be lying if she said she wasn't occasionally flattered from it all. And then  _he_  showed up.

A few weeks into her junior year, rumors started filtering through the school about a new student, a predator, moving to Bunnyburrow. Now, new students weren't an overall rarity considering how large the population was and that out of town lapines would sometimes move countryside, but a new predator family moving into town was worth weeks of gossip. There was a lot of speculation on what species and gender the new mammal would be, so much in fact that students were dismissed early one afternoon since the teachers could not get anyone to pay attention to the lessons. A few days later the rumors finally stopped, because in through the double doors walked a red fox tod, head held high and with a swagger in his step. The amount of girls who fell over themselves from the wink he sent them was incalculable. Before anyone had even learned his name, Nick Wilde had taken over the school.

At first Judy was indifferent to the tod. She held no ill will towards foxes, even though her father had tried to instill caution in all of his children about predators. After a few classes with him she even found herself admiring the fox. He was an even match for her in the classroom, answering questions with the same thorough knowledge as she did herself. It was when the teachers started directing questions towards him rather than her that she began to waver in her opinion. When he was asked to help demonstrate chemistry experiments or solve higher tier math problems on the board rather than her, she would feel a spike of irritation. Eventually her eye would start to twitch whenever she heard the newest gossip of the fox floating around the lunchroom. And then he had showed up to soccer tryouts and demonstrated he could dominate in athletics as well.

It would seem to be a match made in heaven. The most popular tod and doe. Best looking. Best in academics. Stars in their respective sports. But instead it became a rivalry for the ages. Nick, while deliriously charming, was also cocky and enjoyed riling up his fellow students. Soon Judy became his favorite target, something that drove her nuts, which seemed it would continue into the new year as well.

Spinning around, Judy was sorely tempted to march over to the fox and kick him, but as she had done since day one of meeting the insufferable tod she kept it to words. "Get over yourself, Wilde. Sharla and I are training so why don't you and your teammates head over to the field and play with your balls. Oh and I suppose the soccer ball, too." Judy resumed jogging, her own lips turning up into a smile as she heard a lot of ribbing headed the fox's way after her put down, his team and many spectators calling him out. She had to admit that felt good. Sharla joined up with her a few moments later.

"He didn't even flinch, girl! But I swear that smirk of his grew. Think maybe that fox has a little crush on you," Sharla teased, bumping her hip into her bunny friend.

"Oh puh-leeze. Wilde? Him and I have been at each others throats since he transferred here last year." It was definitely true that there had been a large amount of tension between the two classmates during their junior year. Other than Sharla's comment, not a single student would ever think the fox and bunny were interested in the other, especially not after Judy sabotaged Nick's prank on the senior prom last year which resulted in a week's detention. Nor after he rigged the shower head in the girls bathroom to dye Judy's fur purple after a track meet. It had taken nearly a month to wear out but thankfully it was a color that matched her eyes so it wasn't too horrible in the end.

"I'm just saying. Half your sisters would probably kill to get a date with Nick Wilde." While maybe a bit of an exaggeration, it was no secret that even though he was a red fox, there was no lack of eligible females secretly, or sometimes not so secretly, wishing to get a shot with him. Prey or predator, it did not matter. Nick Wilde's charm was a powerful weapon.

"They wouldn't even like him if he wasn't good at soccer." Having made it another lap around the two paused to grab a much needed drink. They watched as the soccer team practiced over at the next field, both of them zeroing in on watching that very fox juggling the ball with some very impressive movements before passing it on. "I really wish he wasn't so good but then we'd lose to Deerbrooke  _again_  and I can't take their smug, pompous faces whenever they win."

"I don't even care that he even plays soccer," Sharla said dreamily. "I only care if he would like to duck behind the bleachers some time."

"Oh c'mon Sharla. I know you don't have anything against foxes, but you aren't after Nick and we both know it. You only want to make out with Nick because you're too scared to ask the  _other_  canine you've had your eye on for the past few years and want to make him jealous enough to ask you out." The ewe's eyes went wide and she scrambled to cover Judy's mouth with her hooves before the bunny danced away, laughing. "We both know lean isn't what's on your mind. You like the larger boys, don't you?"

"Judy," Sharla whined. "C'mon girl, don't."

"So when are you gonna ask Gideon to the prom? I know it's only the first day of senior year, but one can never ask too early." Taking off like a shot, the gray rabbit streaked across the field, heading for the safety of the locker rooms with an irate black sheep right behind her.

* * *

The trip home was uneventful, as per the norm. Bunnyburrow was a rather idyllic place in that crime was very low and rarely did anything happen, especially out in the farmlands but it gave Judy plenty of time to think on her upcoming year. She knew that to get into the college program she wanted, Zootopia University's elite Criminal Justice program, she would need to continue the same high grades and academic records she had kept up all through high school. While she only needed a high school diploma to become a police officer, a bachelors would get her on the fast track to detective, something she had dreamed of for years.

Feeling the weight of her backpack, she couldn't help but groan slightly at how much homework she had been assigned.  _First day, too. I swear I'm gonna beat Joshua. He told me seniors never get homework the first week._ She tilted her head wondering if there was a way she could force him to write her three page report on the history of Zootopian agriculture. With her workout after school, she arrived well after most of her siblings had already gotten home. She was thankful for that since the pile-up at the door when two hundred kits tried to enter all at once was extremely annoying and usually led to more than a few shoves. As it was, only twenty or so bunnies were traipsing through the door, their after-school activities having ended around the same time as hers. Lost in their own conversations the group headed down into the burrow halls while Judy hung back.

"Hey hon." Her mother, a middle aged but surprisingly spry doe considering she gave birth to two hundred and seventy six children, stood at the kitchen sink, washing a mound of vegetables for the family's dinner. "How was your first day?" Dropping her bag on the table with a loud thud, Judy collapsed into a chair with a groan. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, it's not that it was overly horrible or anything." Which was true enough. Save for the few mammals trying to hit on her down at the track that afternoon and a few more during class time, she had enjoyed a relatively laid back and enjoyable day. "We just got a ridiculous amount of homework for a first day. I'm probably going to be in my room all night after dinner trying to get this all done."

"Well does all of it have to be done tonight? I don't want you pushing yourself too hard, bun bun." Judy rolled her eyes at the nickname her mother insisted on calling her. It was cute when she was five. It was a show of affection when she was ten. But at seventeen it was mortifying and thankfully she hadn't used it in public in a while.

"While I would  _love_  to push it down the line I'm probably going to get twice as much tomorrow. And Math Club starts next week so I need to not be weighed down by all of this." Extracurriculars went over great with colleges and while that had originally been her reason for joining the club, she soon found an enjoyment in it, testing her mind much as track worked to strengthen her body. Her mother smiled and tossed her a stick of celery. Though carrots were the preferred snack, Bonnie knew that too many so close to dinner would ruin her daughter's appetite.

"Here you go then, bun bun. Why don't you go start. Dinner will be ready in about an hour." Judy slung her bag back over her shoulder and began gnawing on the celery while heading down the first floor hallway. She passed a few of her siblings who also resided on that floor, most of them older and in the local college. There were a few benefits to having the older kits sleeping on the ground floor such as not disturbing the rest of the warren when having to leave very early or coming in rather late due to jobs and evening classes.

Giving some of her siblings a nod, she pushed open the door to her own room and put her bulging backpack into the desk chair near the bed. She knew she should get started, but the idea of laying out everything just to stop in an hour's time was enough to give her a headache. Instead she turned and left, heading deeper into the burrows towards the family living area.

One of the traditions of the first day of school was to gather together and watch a movie to relax after the pressure of getting back to school. As she was getting home later than the rest of her siblings, Judy was only able to catch the second half of the selected film. It was alright though because while she adored 'Wreck-it-Rhino' she also knew it by heart. She really didn't get much time to enjoy it however. As soon as she sat down she was bombarded with questions from several of her sisters all wanting to know if she had finally given a buck the time of day (or doe one of them suggested "Hey I'm not judging"). Unfortunately for her, the conversation took a turn when one of them mentioned seeing Nick talking to her.

She groaned under her breath as the group surrounding her started in on how good looking and amazing the fox was. It soon became an argument about who of them would best be suited for the fox to date.  _Can't even escape this at home. Oh well,_  she thought grimly.  _Only nine months until graduation._

* * *

Having a room upstairs on the ground floor was a privilege as well as a responsibility. Every bedroom deep into the burrow had one thing in common. It didn't matter if it was decorated in sports posters or handsome bucks from the movies. Pink, blue, rainbow or plaid wallpaper. It could have anything and anyone in it. But none of them had windows. Windows were what Stu called 'the bane of parenthood'. With so many children in their teens, the amount of kits trying to sneak out of the house was a nightmare so only the most responsible Hopps members were allowed those rooms.

Judy was one of the very few still in high school that was allowed that privilege because she followed the rules. She never bowed to the pressure from her siblings to let them sneak out. She had promised her father when she moved in that she would never let any of her siblings use her window to leave the house. And so when the window slid open, the only one seen leaving was a gray bunny with black tipped ears slipping out and into the yard.  _I promised my siblings wouldn't get out, and so none of them have._ While a stickler for the law, Judy was also someone to exploit the loopholes.  _Gotta know 'em to stop 'em,_ she would say to justify it but the truth was she just liked being out.

Digging her hindpaws into the cool grass, Judy looked up into the darkened sky that was slowly filling with stars. She loved being out in the night, a rarity for bunnies who normally preferred to be up with the sun. Something about the moon shining on her fur made her feel content, as if she was the only one in the world. Looking at her watch, she gave a start noticing it was nearly midnight and knowing she only had a small amount of time to spend out in the dark, she dug in her paws and took off into the woods.

She never felt freer than when she was running past the trees with her ears flowing behind her and the air rushing through her fur. Even the breathlessness from her feet moving faster than her lungs felt like a release. And in the shadow of the trees where the moonlight peaked through the gaps Judy felt as if she were thrust into a world of fantasy and adventure, where any moment an elf or sprite might jump out from behind a tree.

"Whoa. What are you doing out here, Carrots?"

_That voice. Of course it would be that voice._ She slowed to a stop and dropped her head, sighing deeply before straightening up and turning towards a nearby tree where the red tod was leaning up against the bark. "Wilde. What are you doing here? It's midnight. And in the woods, no less."

He gave her an amused look before tapping himself in the chest. "Nocturnal, remember? Foxes like the nightlife. And since Bunnyburrow doesn't exactly have one of those, I come out to the woods. Embrace my 'inner savage' as it were. Nothing feels quite as good as letting loose out in nature. Get a good howl in."

Judy rolled her eyes. "That's wolves, Nick." Technically foxes could howl she knew, but it often came out more of a bark than a true howl.

"Eh, you say canid, I say canid."

"That's the same pronunciation, Nick." Judy rolled her eyes again, making her wonder how many times a day she actually would do that because of him.

"True enough, Carrots," he chuckled. A twinkle shined in his brilliant emerald eyes before he opened his arms wide. "Now come here, Fluff so I can do what I've been dying to do all day."

With a gleeful hop in her step and a giant grin on her face, Judy sprinted towards the fox and leapt into his arms, their lips coming together while each let out a sigh of contentment.


	2. A Rocky Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am completely blown away by the reception this story has gotten! I mean wow! You all must really love high school stories. Now, there have been several people commenting that they want me to continue this story and not be just a one-shot. I can assure you that it will continue and it was never a one-shot. You think I, of all writers, would leave them at just a secret kiss in the woods? No way!  
> This week I am in Disney with my family so writing will not likely be happening at all. Now because of that, I have decided to launch this chapter a day ahead of schedule so everyone isn't waiting extra time. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: Finally! I have my foot in the door. Now to steal the rights to Zootopia and have everyone grant me boons! Like Zootopia 2 with WildeHopss! Muwhahahahaha!

With the end of summer nearing and fall looking to take it's turn enveloping Bunnyburrow, there was a distinct chill that would sweep through the field in the dead of night, a time when most mammals were in bed beneath warm blankets. The few in the Burrows that were awake during the night were those who worked late-night shifts or farmers trying to get ahead of their crops. They were all quite used to the chill, usually working inside or hard enough to stay warm. For two others, that slight drop in temperature was barely noticeable in the embrace of the other.

"Hey Nick, look." Emerald eyes tracked along a gray furred arm pointing up into the sky. "There's Orion. See the three stars of his belt?" The tod watched the bunny pointing out each individual star. Familiar with some of the more major constellations, Nick could see the image form.

"Ah yes. The famous fox hunter, tracking his prey." His father had always told him that Orion was a fox and made up fantastical tales for his son to fall in love with, although they both knew he was in fact a lion. He purposefully called out the wrong mammal to cause her a slight confusion, however. Using that time, he got into position, waiting impatiently for her to correct him as he knew she would. The moment she opened her mouth, he struck. "And then the fox attacked his prey!" he cried out, lunging towards her throat. "Nom nom nom nom," he teased, pressing his lips to her fur all over making her squeal with delight.

"Stop Nick! You're getting slobber all over me!" she managed to say in between laughs. She loved when he would kiss her neck, the feelings it caused in her were intense. However sneaking back into the burrow and grabbing a shower before anyone could see her matted fur would be a challenge that she couldn't afford.

Laying back down, Judy snuggled deeper into her fox's side, relishing in the warmth of him as his tail wrapped over her like a blanket. Sighing happily the bunny gazed up through the leaves, taking in the moonlight that trickled down to the forest floor. Every now and again a leaf would succumb to the light breeze and break away from it's branch, scattering the moonlight as it passed through the silvery rays. When she looked up to see if the beams were dancing along his muzzle, she found him looking down at her with a soft smile.

Blushing so that the inside of her ears turned pink, she turned her gaze down demurely. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He never lost the comforting smile that graced his lips. So much different than the smirk he showed to the outside world, it was enough to enchant and entrance her.

"I'm looking at the most beautiful bunny in the whole wide world. Lavender eyes that reflect the moon while it's light dances across her wiggling nose." Entwining their digits, he raised them into view. "One with such gentle but strong paws. With black tipped ears much like a vixen would carry but oh so much more delicate and lovely." He raised her paw to his lips and pressed a light kiss to the back of it causing Judy to giggle.

She flopped her head down onto his chest while he wrapped his arms around her tighter. "How did we get to here, Nick?"

"Well, I snuck out of my room and you snuck out of yours..." he started, laughing when she thumped him lightly.

"Not that, you goof." Settling back down, Judy nuzzled into his chest before pushing her head up underneath his muzzle. "I mean how did we end up together? We hated each other last year. And now, well I can honestly say I had left the burrow maybe once or twice a month before and now I've been out every night for the past three months, wrapped up in the arms of a smug, arrogant fox."

Deciding to reveal a bit of the smug arrogance, Nick whispered into her ear. "You know you love me."

"Do I know that?" Tilting her head upward she pressed her lips to the underside of his muzzle. "Yes. Yes I do."

"To be honest, Carrots, I never hated you. I didn't even dislike you." She gave a start of surprise at that. "Sure I enjoyed tormenting you a bit since we were basically rivals according to the rest of the school, but I never once held any negative feelings for you. In fact, I rather admired you."

"You...you did?" This was a story she hadn't heard before. Even in all of their nights together, sharing bits and pieces of their lives with the other, she had not been told this. It made her feel slightly ashamed of having admitted she really had not liked the tod.

"Of course I did. A bunny like yourself? Ethereally beautiful, yet you never once let it go to your head. Amazingly brilliant, yet rather than show-off you use it to help other students. Heck, you tutored an entire class after school on AP Algebra on your own. Not to mention how fast you are on the track but spend a lot of time helping to train your teammates instead of hogging all the glory." Tilting his head down so she could see the sincerity in his eyes, he kissed the top of her head. "There's no one else in the world like Judy Hopps."

Her blush now spreading throughout her ears and over her cheeks, the fur threatening to burst into flame, Judy pulled her ears down in an attempt to hide. Nick chuckled again before leaning down to nuzzle her. "I could say the same things about you Mr. Wilde," came the muffled voice from behind two large and gray ears.

"Oh?" While amused, he couldn't help but be curious at what she had to say. "Pray tell, Fluff. I thought you hated me?"

"I did. Sort of," she mumbled, unable to look him square in the eye. She waited for him to make some snarky remark but he simply sat with a small smile on his lips, motioning her to continue. "Okay so I didn't hate you at first. I was impressed at how smart you were. I hadn't really experienced having competition in the classroom but it actually helped me learn since I was now trying to keep ahead, or sometimes  _up_   _with_  someone. I would get so upset with my siblings making any noise when I was studying just to make sure I would beat your score on the history test or get a better grade on the science exhibit. But I started to take it too far. I started to dislike you always knowing the answers, always ahead no matter how hard I tried."

"Blame my mother. Having a retired college professor living with you means pop quizzes during breakfast, taking out the trash, sometimes even while getting out of the shower." Judy shook her head letting her ears bat playfully at Nick's nose.

"I know that, Slick. Well now anyways. But back then it was a lot harder to deal with. Perfect looks," Nick waggled his brows at her, "perfect grades, and then you also come out as this incredibly talented athlete, played first board on the chess team..." She trailed off while trying to find a way to put her thoughts into words. "I guess I just didn't like being upstaged. Now I know that's not what was happening," she reassured him when he opened his mouth to protest, "I know you were just being you and I'm very glad you were. Took me a while to understand that I never really hated you, Nick. That I actually hated losing the praise I would always receive. I never even realized I took so much joy in it." Her eyes began to tear up as she thought back to how cold she had been towards him all last year. "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time over something so pathetic as wanting attention."

"Hey now, Fluff. No tears, okay?" Reaching up to brush her cheek, wiping away the tracks down her soft fur, Nick gave her a light kiss between her ears. "It's not shameful to admit you like attention. Everyone does. It's pretty natural to seek approval from those around you even. I imagine the looks from some of the more handsome bucks didn't hurt either," the vulpine noted with a sly smirk on his lips.

"Oh gods no. No, I absolutely loathe the leers and comments about my ass. Had to deal with that a full year before you even showed up. I enjoyed the attention from my teachers. Being a cop is the only dream I have ever wanted so badly and my grades have to be exemplary." She didn't want to admit that she had modified her dream somewhat in the past few months because she wasn't sure how well it would be received since she did not know if Nick would want to become a cop like her. To be her partner. No, better to let that rest for a while, she figured.

Nick could understand that aspect. He too enjoyed the praises from his instructors. It was something he guessed was common among most kits, preschool up to senior year alike. "So... When did you realize this? The whole 'don't actually dislike the new guy, just don't like losing the attention' thing? Obviously it was sometime before we got together I'm guessing, since you haven't brought it up before now."

"Umm..." Judy's ears turned bright red while her gaze dipped in bashfulness. The tod was amused by her embarrassment, which was something he had devoted a lot of energy to causing over the last year. "It may have been a revelation, umm...that night."

 _That night_ , Nick mouthed to himself but he was drawing a blank. "What ni-." A spark of inspiration and recognition struck his mind making him pause mid-word. "Wait.  _That_  night?" Judy nodded her head, once again not letting their eyes meet fully.

* * *

_'That' Night: A few weeks before end of the school year_

Time had no meaning for one small mammal nestled beneath a large oak just on the edge of the forest. There were days and nights that existed in fractions of a second or a year in the setting of one sun. On the rare occasion however, there was no difference between dusk to dawn, where the darkness and the moon existed at every point and the face of a clock vanished from consequence. It was on one of these nights that young Judy Hopps lay under the thick branches of an old tree only a few miles from her family's farm. It was a place she came to think and reflect on the changes in her life. Gone were the times in the sun, however, for Judy found the best time to contemplate was when the world around her was quiet, something not likely to be realized when her siblings would be awake.

So instead she had taken it upon herself to leave the safety and warmth of her room in order to search inside herself for answers. Lately these nighttime excursions had increased in frequency by an alarming rate. The risk of being caught each time was something she considered but ultimately would dismiss. She was one of the most trusted offspring in the Hopps Warren. Her parents would never think to check on her in the middle of the night.

So lost in thought beneath the large tree, Judy almost didn't notice her ears perking up at the sound of cracking twigs. Her sense of smell was of little help to her with the strong surrounding scent of the forest around her and while the moon made it easier for her to see, she was still limited when it came to peering into the shadows of the trees. Instead Judy swung her ears toward the sound and used her superior sense of hearing.

With each scuffed leaf and broken twig, Judy learned something new about the approaching mammal.  _They are not trying to be stealthy and they aren't running so either they haven't seen me, which is unlikely,_ she thought while looking down at her surroundings and how she was bathed in moonlight,  _or this is not a mammal that was expecting to see someone else on their stroll and they don't want to startle me._ A few steps later had her gaining a bit more insight.  _Large hindpaws, dragging against the leaves and multiple twigs cracking at once. Thicker branch_ , Judy heard a much sharper snapping sound than before,  _heavier than a bunny would be._ The sound of something brushing against the bark,  _about two feet off the ground I'd say,_ gave her pause for a second before realizing what the soft sound meant.  _That's a tail. A large and long tail._ With there being only a few varieties of mammals in Bunnyburrow with a tail like that, she knew that a feline species would never approach as they were, which meant it was most likely a canid.

 _Not a wolf, that's much too large. So that would make this a fox. And with only two fox families around here now..._ Casting her gaze towards the edge of the wood, she caught a beam from the moon striking the black tip of a russet orange tail. "Wilde?"

"Well, well, well..." The smugness of his voice made the doe want to roll her eyes. "What brings you to the woods at this time of night, Carrots?" Nick was indeed a bit shocked to find the gray bunny sitting beneath the tree. He hadn't known many rabbits that liked to be up at night and even those who did never wanted to be outside. Then again, this  _was_  Judy Hopps.

"Just taking some time to myself. You know, busy warren, empty moonlit sky...you do the math. You could probably could do it in Sanskrit, mister 'Perfect GPA'," she muttered just below his hearing level. "What are you doing out here? Couldn't go to sleep so you came out here to outdo Van Gopher's 'Starry Night'?"

Taken aback by her hostility, Nick could only manage a shrug and a soft smile. "Not much of a, uh painter, Carrots. I do a pretty mean woodcarving but if you want one of those you'll have to wait for me to go get my knife."

"Oh of  _course_  you do. Totally makes sense. You  _are_  Nick Wilde after all." The tod frowned heavily. This wasn't at all how he had wanted this interaction to go.

He had not expected her to be out in the woods at all. He made these nightly excursions to find a little bit of freedom from his days. While he had grown to love the countryside and made a good amount of friends out in the Burrows, the excitement of being out in Zootopia after dark still was something he missed. He had taken to exploring the world around him instead since staying in bed for a nocturnal mammal when they weren't tired was akin to torture. When he had spotted the doe laying in the moonlight, a thought of how to finally approach her and find out exactly why she was always upset with him began to form. However it didn't seem to start off so well.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that." He was hurt a little by the flippant roll of her eyes. "Look Carrots. I just want to talk." The slight scoffing sound from below made him a bit nervous and he was sure she would get up and run off at any moment, but after a few seconds she waved an arm towards him in a vague 'say whatever and then go' manner.

"Did I...ever do or say something to you that would make you dislike me?" The softness of his words and the nervous hesitation in his voice made Judy's ears spring up and rotate towards him. "If I did, I am truly sorry and I will do  _anything_  to make it up to you." He waited patiently for her to respond, minute after minute crawling past. When it seemed as if there was no hope and he would have to go home without any answers from the pretty doe, a small sigh caught his ears.

"Why do you have to be so...so damned  _perfect?!_ " Whatever Nick had been expecting, it certainly was not those words. It hit him so hard that he was physically rocked as well causing him to fall on his rump. Judy meanwhile had stood and was now hovering over the grounded vulpine. "Why did you have to show up and start wowing everyone with your skills and how you know so much everyone else doesn't? Mammals like you don't exist in high school except in tv shows and crappy novels."

It was hard for it to happen by this point, but Nick Wilde had become even more confused. "Mammals like me? TV shows? What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play dumb with  _me,_  fox. You know exactly what I mean. Killer athlete, star pupil, ridiculously hot-" Judy's eyes widened making her violet eyes glisten in the moonlight before she slapped a paw over her mouth. The visage of confusion that Nick had shown had gone, replaced with a surprised brow raise which quickly turned into a grin.

"Ridiculously hot, huh?" Pushing himself up to his own standing position, he took several steps closer until he was looming over the lapin. "Why Carrots. Are you saying you find me a bit... _Foxy?_ "

"No! No. I never said that!" Judy, who had tried to take an intimidating pose by forcing him underneath a tree, suddenly found herself the one who was being intimidated, but for nowhere near the same reasons. While she had not called the tod 'foxy', it didn't mean she wasn't thinking it. Since day one she had been admiring his looks. It was impossible not to, it was simply biology screaming about a perfect physical specimen to join with. She had forced herself to stay out of all conversations about the vulpine's looks so as to not lose herself in them, but that didn't mean she never glanced over at his fit body and amazing eyes. Now with him standing over her, those same eyes boring into hers, his fur catching the moonlight making the edges glow, it was all she could do not to lick her lips at the sight.

Seeing her chest heave while her eyes dashed around catching every inch of his physique, Nick couldn't help the smug look crossing his face. "It's alright to think it, Carrots. I'm totally thinking about how  _cute_  you look right now."

At any point in her life, Judy would have quickly, and probably angrily, told someone off for calling her cute, but right then she was having difficulty pulling her thoughts together. "You can't just...call a bunny  _cute._ It means something very dif-"

Nick cut her off as he placed two paws on her cheeks. "I know  _exactly_  what it means, Fluff." A sharp spike in her scent made the tod bolder, the spiciness of it causing his head to become light. Bringing his head down, he quickly captured her lips with his own hungrily and he soon found himself slipping his tongue past her lips, though he wasn't sure if it had been his idea or not. Two small paws had long ago grasped his ears while very strong legs wrapped themselves around his waist, his own clawed paws resting under her behind.

It may have been minutes or just moments, but the kiss was ended quite suddenly when Nick was pushed back and holding a paw to his stinging cheek. "How  _dare_  you?!" Judy cried out angrily. "You don't just kiss someone you aren't in a relationship with! It's not appropriate or respectful. Do you understand me?" Nick nodded, a slight wince flashing across his features. "Good." With that, Judy grasped his ears again and hauled him towards her. This time, when their lips met, it was  _her_  tongue forcing it's way along his fangs.

* * *

_Present night_

"So I ended up stumbling through the woods right after you came to the conclusion you didn't hate me just in time for us to get together. That's quite a stroke of good luck huh, Carrots." Nick laughed heartily while Judy smiled awkwardly, forcing through a few giggles which did not escape his notice. "What? Was there something else?"

"Well..." Judy glanced up at him sheepishly. "I didn't exactly come to that conclusion  _before_  we ended up kissing." Emerald eyes stared at her incredulously. "What? I mean you were just so damn hot I had to at least give it a try  _once."_


	3. Java on the sly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Back from Disney! Family had a blast and now I want you all to have one too. In story form! I'm thrilled you guys have fallen in love with this story like you have. Enjoy!
> 
> (To answer a few questions: 'Rival' deals with their school rivalry and how they hide the relationship. No 'Jack Savageesque' triangle stuff)
> 
> Disclaimer: Disney had NO Zootopia! No merch, no characters, and the safe didn't even have the Rights in it! It was a fun trip but the WildeHopps in me feels like he got screwed. And not in the fun way.

For one very tired gray doe, the bustle of a few hundred bunnies traipsing through the dining area for breakfast was enough to make her head spin. Dozens of metal spoons clanking against ceramic bowls hit her ears like a thousand cymbals. She forced herself to suppress a groan even though the pain was excruciating, the same with dropping her head to the table. If there was one thing she didn't need it was suspicion being cast upon her. Unfortunately, she was not protected against the x-ray vision all mothers have.

"Hey Bun-Bun. You alright?" Her voice and face full of concern, Bonnie moved around the extensive table to stand at her daughter's side. "I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, but you don't look so well this morning, honey."

Judy was sorely tempted to roll her eyes at her mother and respond with the stereotypical 'well gee, thanks mom' but her heart wasn't in it. Really no part of her was. She and Nick had spent hours beneath the night sky, cuddled up under the stars, just enjoying each other's company and, Judy remembered fondly, curling his extremely fluffy tail over her. She had managed to get back to her room at four that morning and didn't even bother trying to get in some shut eye. She had instead hopped into a shower and had been constantly forcing herself to stay awake.

"Sorry mom, just really tired." She had what she wanted to say planned out, but her brain decided playing ball on no sleep wasn't something it was willing to do. "I was up late with N- _*cough*_  with Mrs. Nelson's research paper. She assigned us a four page report on the Mammalian War of 1623 and I wanted to get a jump start. Looks like I overdid it." The last part came out as a murmur with her spoon flopping carelessly into the oatmeal.

"Oh hon. I told you yesterday to make sure you took it easy. First day back trying to do everything all at once? You're going to burn out before the year even really starts." Judy nodded while trying to keep her head up, but it was enough to mollify her mother who quickly had to turn her attention to a large crashing sound from the living room. Using the distraction, the young doe hopped up from the table and headed for the door into the yard.

It was still early to leave for school but Judy decided that a nice long walk instead of waiting for the bus would help rouse her from the stupor she was in. That, and she wanted to swing by the diner on her way through town to get something she knew her parents would never approve of. Thankfully the morning weather was warm and dry. Her major concern about walking to school was that she would find herself overheated by the glaring sun and humidity levels after last night's slight chill that would cause her to sweat and pant, but instead she was rather comfortable, even feeling a certain spring in her step. A brisk walk usually tended to perk her up, really a thing most bunnies enjoyed as well as energetic as they were as a species.

With her thoughts both a muddling of blurred drowsiness and reminiscing about her time with her fox the night before, she was surprised to find herself in the middle of town. After a quick check of her watch she confirmed it had indeed been the full twenty minutes it usually took but to her it had been the blink of an eye.  _I really need sleep_ and _to get that fox off the brain. Well, at least for the school day._  It was becoming harder to keep thoughts of Nick out of her mind with each night they spent together, but now with school it was going to be a much bigger challenge than simply avoiding her brothers and sisters. She and him would need to play very convincing roles of two rivals still standoffish, even though it may hurt until they could be back together. Instead of dwelling on what was to come once the school day started, Judy headed into the local diner, or at least the only one  _not_  run by a bunny. It's not that she had anything against her fellow rabbits, but there were some things that couldn't be done when dealing with her own kind.

"Judy! You're a bit early, darlin'. Let me guess, couldn't sleep and about to fall on your face?" A yawn from the doe was enough to confirm the other mammal's suspicions. "Hop right up on here and we'll get you taken care of." Judy followed the advice and leapt up next to the counter, plopping herself down into a bunny sized stool only to look up into the smiling face of a large dark-furred cougar.

"Thanks, Mrs. Catmull." While she had been friends with Bobby for many years, it had only been when the two had dated for a couple weeks that she had really bonded with her friend's mother. While she wasn't quite sure if it was because she and Bobby were close or that she was a rather unusual bunny, Judy had always been a bit embarrassed by Mrs. Catmull's doting on her. Especially when it came to the one thing her mother forbade her from ever having.

"Here you go, hon. Fox sized coffee, one third regular, two thirds decaf, two sugars, four creams." Greedily Judy snatched up the cup and breathed in the rich aroma. The smell alone helped perk her ears from where they had listlessly been laying against her back. Coffee had become the bunny's downfall, and it was one her parents would go insane over if they ever found out, and for good reason. Rabbits had very finicky hearts and caffeine was a danger to them. Thankfully for Judy, she had found a pleasant enough blend that would allow her to get a bit of energy without bothering her health.

Watching the doe sip at the hot beverage, Abigail Catmull smiled as her son's friend seemed to shudder in appreciation. The feline started to turn away before a slight scent made her nose twitch. Looking around for the source, Abigail was at a loss as the only mammals in the diner at this time in the morning were two produce truckers and Old Mr. Harrison, a partially deaf and blind hog who came in like clockwork. Other than those three, the only new patron was Judy herself. Trying not to be quite so obvious, the cougar grabbed a cloth under the pretense of wiping down the counter-top until reaching Judy's area. Breathing in as quietly as she could, Mrs. Catmull's sensitive predator nose picked up a distinct scent, though extremely faint.

Throwing caution to the wind, she breathed in a bit deeper, counting on the bunny's focus being on the cup in front of her rather than the actions of an aging cat. This time there was a much clearer scent coming from her although still very faint. She doubted anyone besides a predator, and a feline or canid at that, would be able to detect the minuscule traces of musk coming from the young doe.

"Judy," she murmured the name as quietly as possible. The two bucks across the room might be far enough away to be out of earshot, but having lived among bunnies for years Abigail knew to never underestimate their hearing. "Judy," she said again, waiting for her to meet her gaze. "Why do you smell like fox?"

"Eeep!" Judy's eyes had gone wide as she let out a shrill cry. Her paws had jumped to her mouth making Abigail have to quickly reach out and catch the falling coffee mug. Too shocked to apologize, Judy's eyes dashed around the diner, taking note that none of the other occupants had noticed anything. Leaning in and gesturing frantically at the cougar, she tried to desperately smooth down her ears which seemed to be stuck in the air. Mrs. Catmull, a wry smile on her lips, rolled her eyes and moved in closer. "Why would you ask that? I'm not-I mean I never-I mean-"

"Judy, calm down." Putting her very much larger paw on top of the bunny's, Abigail waited for the doe's nose to stop wiggling. "I'm just asking because I'm getting a very tiny bit of musk coming from you, specifically fox musk. I'm just curious why."

Seeing that she wasn't about to announce it to the other patrons, small amount though they were, Judy allowed herself to relax slightly. "Is it…is it noticeable?" she asked timidly, searching the cougar's eyes for any sign of concern or judgment. She felt the breath she didn't realize she was holding escape from her lungs when the feline shook her head.

"No. No I doubt anyone would be able to smell it besides in here, and only a predator. And I only say in here because the stove ain't goin' and there's basically no one in here to provide any other scents." She narrowed her eyes, though more in a curious way than anything hostile. "But you knew you had that scent hanging around, didn't you? Or at least you  _thought_  you had gotten rid of it. What's going on, Judy?" The cat's lips were now curling into a smile. "Something you want to tell your favorite diner owner?" When Judy seemed to fidget, not sure if she should answer or not, Abigail took it a step further. "You know, your parents probably should be warned about that caffeine intake.

Though she knew it was in jest and that Mrs. Catmull would never say anything, it still gave Judy a bit of a jolt. It was a sore temptation though. For months she had been mum about everything between her and Nick. The overwhelming drive to tell somebody,  _anybody_  at that point, was causing her to twitch every now and again.

"I'll tell you, but you have to swear you won't say anything. Please." Abigail looked at the bunny's wide, pleading eyes and nodded slowly, promising both the rabbit and herself that she would never betray the doe's trust. It also had gone beyond wanting to know any juicy gossip to understanding that she really needed to talk to someone.

Wringing her paws together nervously, Judy took several deep breaths gathering the courage to reveal her biggest secret. "You know the Wildes, right?"

Abigail, who had served the fox family many times over the last year, nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, lovely family. I believe their son Nicholas is in your and Bobby's class, right?"

"Yeah, same year as us. We sort of had an…academic rivalry going on since they moved here."

"Oh that's right. Bobby mentioned that on a few occasions. Said you two were like seagulls fighting over a piece of bread." Abigail remembered that well, especially as it was one of the few things her son opened up to her about these days.  _Hmph. Teenagers,_  she thought.

"Well," Judy began hesitantly before clamming up and bringing her eyes down to her coffee, preferring the sight of the brownish liquid to the sight of her friend's mother. When she felt a large paw encircling both of her own, she lifted her gaze to see Abigail smiling softly at her, her paw giving her a gentle squeeze of encouragement. Gathering herself once more, Judy murmured her next words which were still audible too the feline. "We sort of started dating? But nobody knows it and we're trying to keep it secret. But if I smell like him everyone will find out!"

While it was not what she expected to hear, and frankly the reveal made Abigail's eyes widen considerably, she still noted the sound of panic in Judy's voice and sought to soothe her. Even though the bunny was not her cub, as a mother she felt the need to protect and help her.

"It's okay, Judy. You don't have to worried about anything." The still concerned look in the young mammal's brilliant amethyst eyes told her the doe wasn't exactly believing her. "The scent is so ridiculously faint that if the overhead fan was on I'd never be able to smell it. At the school with all those mammals? Even a wolf wouldn't be able to get a whiff." Reaching out and smoothing the bunny's stiff ears, she spoke her next words softly. "You and he will be perfectly fine, okay?" Taking a second to digest the big cat's words, Judy nodded, her worries lessened though some parts still lingered.

"Thank you for the coffee and the ear, Mrs. Catmull."

"Abby, Judy. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Abby?" The doe smiled brightly and gave her a quick nod.

"Thanks,  _Abby._  I better get to school. First bell is in like twenty minutes. Bye!" Her voice a bit more cheerful than a few minutes ago, the gray bunny turned a skip into a run and was kicking up dust in seconds.

 _Wow,_  Abigail thought while wiping off the counter and moving Judy's used cup to the sink.  _This will certainly be an interesting year once this comes out._ And it would come out, she knew. It was virtually impossible to keep secrets in high school, especially when bunnies were involved.

* * *

Even as early as she had left, the extra time spent in the diner talking with Mrs. Catmull had brought the gap a lot closer than she realized. Having to take the last half mile at a dead sprint, Judy just made it in through the front doors before the vice principal, an old goat named Mr. Lockhorn closed them. She gave him a quick smile but only got a harsh snort in return. No one really liked the vice principal. He originally started at the school as a chemistry teacher, but after a few fires and a wall being destroyed he was moved to a non-important position where he couldn't mess things up again.

A few of her siblings caught sight of her in the halls and waved, which she returned in earnest. She caught a few snatches of their conversation and tried to look around innocently when she discovered they were talking about her and what must have been doing to leave so early and get there so late. Luckily Judy was distracted when she felt an arm loop through her own.

"Hey girl!" Unsurprisingly, Sharla was now hanging off the bunny's arm, a feat in and of itself considering the sheep was easily a foot taller than her. "You almost missed home room, and on the second day too! Now, I know we hung out all summer so I  _know_  you didn't do much changing, so the only conclusion I have is that you were abducted and switched with an alien replica." Sharla suddenly stopped and grabbed Judy's arms, staring deep into her eyes, her own quite serious. "If you're an alien, I just need to know one thing. Can you loan me five bucks? Judy usually spots me for lunch."

Now laughing heartily, Judy pushed her giggling friend away. "I so do not buy your lunches." Heading over to her locker, Judy spun the lock while Sharla leaned up against the one next to her.

"Oh c'mon. All I got today is  _sautéed_  alfalfa sprouts and a veggie burger on grass loaf." She couldn't help but stick her tongue out in disgust. "Slimy bits of string and loose grassy bread because my mom still can't make a burger to save her life." Judy shuddered at the thought. Her mother at least used bread for their sandwiches.

"Alright, alright. I'll buy you  _one_  slice of cheese pizza. But that's only cause Mrs. Catmull only charged me for half a cup this morning." Except for Nick, who she had confided in and reassured that she wouldn't take any unnecessary risks with her health, only Bobby and Sharla knew she had a secret vice.

"Still needing that pick-me-up, huh? You gotta stop those late night runs in the woods, girl. I get you really want to beat Podunk this year but staying up all night isn't how to get it done." Judy thought it was a bit hypocritical of the sheep to put down her coffee use considering she had a to-go cup of the drink in her hoof which she quickly downed, seeing Judy's longing look at the styrofoam container.

Grabbing her books for the day, Judy put her backpack in the locker and closed it. Unlike her fellow students, the doe made sure to close her locker gently, taking care not to hurt her own, or any other bunnies ears. She headed off towards her first class with Sharla falling in to step beside her. She wasn't paying as close attention as she would have liked to her constantly chatting friend, but it was enough of a challenge to keep her eyes open. It was becoming a toss-up between spending her nights with Nick or getting some much needed sleep.

Feeling a nudge to her head, Sharla's elbow pushing it to the side as she forgot exactly how small her friend was, brought her back out of her stupor. "Look." Judy followed the hoof towards another set of nearby lockers, confused until a freshman wolf and ram parted for her to see a flash of russet fur. "Mr. Dreamy over there lookin' good."

Rolling her eyes, the gray doe scoffed heavily. "More like Mr. Narcissist. I bet he's got a mirror in that locker just so he can brush himself in-between classes. His fashion sense is horrid, too. I mean Pawaiin shirt and khaki cargo shorts? Needs to get himself new clothes, like  _bad_." She said this just loud enough for the words to travel to the fox's ears and because she was looking for it, she got to see a very minor quirk of his lips upward in a smile.

"Oh I'd get him some new clothes right, long as he let me watch him put 'em on," Sharla murmured seductively, licking her lips while gazing towards the tod. This time his smile was rather evident to Judy which irked her a bit more than she should have shown. But she knew how to get Sharla under control.

"Hoo boy, I wonder if Gideon would enjoy hearing you talk about  _him_  that way. Maybe I should go ask him. 'Hey Gideon, Sharla wants to see you naked. Would that be go-mmph." Judy's words were cut off by a hoof suddenly slapping around the bunny's mouth.

"Shhh! God, Judy. You want to make me burst into flame over here?" Even with her black wool the ewe's blush was coming through clearly. After glancing to each side to make sure no one had heard their conversation, Sharla turned back towards the doe. "You know, for someone who doesn't like Nick Wilde you certainly are doing an awful lot to get me to stop mentioning him. Especially about his looks." Eyes narrowed suspiciously, she stared hard at her friend. "You sure nothing is going on with you two?"

Normally Judy would become quite flustered at the insinuation, however knowing Sharla as she did, she had been expecting a question like that for a while and had her response ready. "Oh trust me, Sharla. If something was going on you would probably be the first I would tell."  _The first if you don't count a really nice old cougar. One day, Sharla. I promise._  "But that insufferable fox? Us two an item? Yeah, that ain't happening."

"Hmmm…alright," the ewe said letting it go, though she was not entirely convinced. The morning bell though saved Judy from any further questions as they started down the hall. With only a five minute break between bells, they needed to navigate the packed halls, sidestepping all the other mammals trying to get to class before being marked as tardy.

A large group of bunnies forced the two over into the lockers to avoid being swept along in their wake. Unfortunately this put them directly next to the same fox they had just been discussing. "Morning, Carrots. Sharla." The cool and collected voice caused a shiver to run through the doe, but the bashful sheep missed it as she was finding it hard to concentrate on what was happening around her. The half-lidded gaze and seductive tone was more than enough to set the ewe back. She may make remarks about the tod's good looks to annoy Judy, but if she wasn't so smitten with Gideon she would definitely be all over him.

To cover her own reaction, Judy forced a look of disdain on her face before passing by him, her shoulder pushing against him to appear disinterested in talking. "Wilde," she stated haughtily, throwing her nose in the air. Sharla followed close behind, now snickering at their interaction, though casting a shrug towards Nick.

Judy felt more than saw the faint brush of something across the back of her legs. She knew exactly what it was without even looking. She had been wrapped inside the soft fur of his tail so many nights that she would never forget the feeling. More than ever she wanted to just leap into his arms and nuzzle into the crook of his neck and it took everything she had to keep moving as if nothing happened, especially when soft words reached her ears. "Nice touch, Fluff." It was said so quietly that no one would be able to hear it except her. She forced herself to hide her face so that no one around would see her dopey grin.  _This is going to be so much harder than I thought._


	4. There's drama, and then there's highschool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ooooh! So excited! OceRydia, an awesome artist over on DA, has agreed to make a cover for this Masterpiece of a tale! (Yes, I know. I am so very humble.) I'm absolutely thrilled at how much people are enjoying the story! Everytime I get an email saying someone new has posted a comment I cheer! (Internal, not external. I have class, you know. And work. And home. And sleep. Oh and vidya gaems too. Anyways, sidetracked!)
> 
> A few readers (like a fair bit actually) have asked why Nick and Judy are keeping their relationship a secret. Well, we get into that a bit in this chapter. So I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Disclaimer: Wolfeyer. SavageFrost. SharGideon. Finnzelle. Long ago, these four ships gained support. Until some writers tried to change it all. Only WildeHopps, the true ship, could endure. But when the fandom needed them most, oh who am I kidding they are TOTALLY still here!

Judy was wrong. Keeping her composure throughout the day was not going to be hard, it was going to be impossible. The incident at the lockers had been enough to occupy her thoughts throughout homeroom, the memory of his tail against her calves causing a small shiver to go through her each time she remembered how the bristles of his fur felt on hers. It took up so much of her attention in fact that she missed hearing the teacher call her name twice and only registered it once Sharla had given her a sharp nudge with her elbow.

"What was that all about," the ewe whispered, leaning in close to the gray bunny. "You've never spaced out like that. Are you okay?" There was a war going on inside of Judy to determine the answer to that very question. She certainly wanted to tell her best friend, the one who had stayed by her side when others scoffed every time she spoke about being a police officer. She didn't like hiding things from her, but she knew that if she told the sheep than the entire school would know before lunch time, and then their secret romance would turn into gossip and possibly face harassment from some other students. No, best she stay in the dark a while longer.

"I'm fine, Sharla." The dubious look on her friend's face told her that even if she  _did_  believe her, she was still worried about her health by the way she was pointing so much attention her way. "Really. I didn't sleep well last night and I was going to be late so I didn't get to have all of my coffee. I'm just a little rundown I guess. But I'm totally fine." Flashing her front chompers at the ewe, she gave her a strong smile, one that refused to betray any of her inner musings. Sharla still did not seem entirely convinced but she at least let the matter drop while patting Judy's shoulder lightly with her hoof.

 _It's only a matter of time before she figures it out. She may not be aspiring to be a detective like you, but she's been dragged through enough of your 'mystery cases' over the years to be good enough to see through your smokescreen,_ her inner voice taunted. This was the side of her that truly wanted to bring her friend into her confidence. It was just too much of a risk to her and her tod boyfriend. So for now she ignored that little voice.

One of the few bonuses to her school day was that she was able to spend most of them with her friends. Shortly after the first period bell rang, Judy headed for her advanced calculus class with Sharla by her side chatting away about the newest piece of gossip floating around.

"-and then Jasmine shoved her cherry pie slice in Brad's face. I swear that doe has a blackness on her soul as dark as her fur but she was  _totally_  in the right, there. I can't believe Brad would tell her that she's gotten 'too fat' for him to love her anymore and then, and  _then_  admit he had been cheating on her with Shannon all summer behind her back. He's lucky he wasn't dating me, cause that buck would be missing quite a few things that made him a buck, if you know what I mean."

"Sharla, if you think I don't know what you are implying, we aren't really that close then. Although I have to remind you that if you  _did_  remove a male's genitalia then I would have to place you under citizen's arrest." Sharla rolled her eyes as she did every time Judy reminded her of a law.

"Girl, we are seniors in high school. At least call it a dick. A cock. Anything besides 'genitalia.' You sound like Mrs. Rivers." Mrs. Rivers was an otter who had been at the school for longer than anyone could remember. She had been teaching Sex Ed. before Judy's parents were at school and the wizened old sow made the subject dryer than a week old biscuit left outside in the July sun. The rabbit couldn't help but smile at the ewe's crass humor. It wasn't really her style but that didn't mean she couldn't find it funny. It was only when she entered the room that her smile faded in lieu of a shocked and slightly worried expression.

The sight of her fellow classmate, Bobby Catmull, was a welcome sight. After having seen his mother just that morning, it was easy to see where his looks came from. He didn't take much after his father who was a lighter fur tone, but that didn't make him any less attractive. There was a reason Judy had tried going out with him beyond their friendship and, while it didn't last, their friendship was still strong. He gave her a little wave, sending a confused look towards Sharla in regards to the frozen bunny. The sheep could only shrug, still trying to unravel the mystery.

However Bobby was not the catalyst for her sudden pause and widening eyes. The violet irises were instead directed towards the one mammal she wasn't prepared to see standing next to the cougar. A pair of half-lidded emerald eyes sent her way and a severely smug look on his lips, Nick seemed quite proud of himself before going back to his chat with Bobby. Considering she had not seen the fox in class yesterday, she assumed he must have transferred there that morning.

"Look, Jude." She didn't need the elbow into her shoulder to point out the tod, something Sharla definitely knew as well since Judy's eyes were focused right on him, especially the swaying tail sticking out behind him. "God that looks so soft. Like you want to just bury your hooves in it for days."

Judy started to agree, knowing  _exactly_  how fluffy the appendage was but caught herself just in time. It wouldn't do much good for her try and act like she wasn't interested in Nick if she admitted to lusting after his tail. Instead she turned herself away from the fox, giving him the cold shoulder. "If you say so." Diverting her attention to her feline friend, Judy sent him a soft smile, receiving a grin and a nod in return before Bobby said goodbye to Nick put his head back into his math book.

Out of habit the two mammals headed towards their seats, Sharla resuming her story about the doe and buck that had ended up starting a food fight at one of the diners in town. It wasn't until she heard a very tiny cough to her right that she realized exactly where she was. When class had started yesterday, the bunny and ewe had made it into class a couple minutes behind everyone else. Because of that the only seats still open had been in the back row. Judy had taken the one closer to the window as Sharla preferred to be directly in the center row. Her eyesight was such that directly straight on was the best way for her to see the full length of the room. Judy preferred to not sit directly next to the window because as much as she enjoyed the sunlight, one of her biggest distractions were flowers, and a rather massive garden of them lining the building's wall was far too easy to lose herself in. To the doe's recollection, every chair had been filled. All but one. The one directly to her right.

Slowly turning her head towards the sound, she was horribly dismayed to find her view filled with a smirking muzzle that was a mix of russet and cream. Her eyes followed the teeth up until it met a twitchy black nose, her ears catching a small sniff every few seconds. She knew that it was drawing in a strong scent from her, a mix of fear and excitement that she really hoped none of the other predators could pick up on. Swallowing hard, Judy's vibrant purple irises met green and she was lost.

It was several seconds later that her body finally got the message to breathe again, which she did so while forcing a small cough. To the rest of the class it merely came across as her clearing her throat, however the wink Nick sent her told Judy he wasn't fooled and that he knew he was the reason for her breath catching.

Suddenly the idea of keeping their relationship a secret was laughable. Not only was she dying to lean over and crawl onto his lap, kissing him into a daze, but the signs must be so obvious to everyone that she would be hearing the talks by the time they left their seats for second period.

The harsh screech from the front of the room made every rabbit in the room cringe including Judy but thankfully it knocked her attention away from the vulpine who she hadn't realized she had been staring at for several minutes. Fixing her eyes on the teacher at the front, Judy had to question the school's logic in how they hired their staff, and not for the first time either.

Mrs. Woolers was a very nice old ewe. Extremely generous, she organized all of the charities the school would host and, as a fantastic baker, her treats usually funded the events on their own. However, she was not exactly what Judy would attribute the title of 'satisfactory teacher.' While only a decade or so older than Judy's own mother, Mrs. Woolers suffered from a few maladies that tended to impede her teaching and their learning.

She was hard of hearing in one ear which she had a hearing aid for. A hearing aid that had rested at the bottom of her drawer in it's permanent home since it was prescribed. So speaking loudly was a necessity but she did not always hear them before she had moved on with the lesson. She also had a issue with her knee that caused her to limp when walking around. Normally that would not be much of an issue, but with her constantly sweaty hooves it usually ended with their papers scattered all over the floor. The closest student to the drop point was then unofficially responsible for picking them up and passing them out.

But the worst was a case of bronchitis that she had contracted sometime in the spring. Twenty years ago. It was resistant to all forms of treatment for some reason and strangely it never went away. Doctors were stumped but since it didn't negatively impact her health besides giving her a cough that could be controlled, they opted to leave it alone. Unfortunately for her students, her cough would get progressively worse when drinking coffee. And since their class was the first in the morning, the sheep was coming off a large mug of black coffee and her disgusting cough was primed and ready.

Two proofs into her board writings, it finally hit her. The deep throat rattle followed by a disturbing amount of mucus having to be swallowed or spit into a tissue had some of the class looking a bit green. For the rabbits who were older and had spent years taking care of their very young siblings it was easier to handle, but the rest were at their own stomach's mercy.

Judy had begun taking notes on the new proofs and examples, even though she had already studied them a few weeks ago, when a small poke hit her in the cheek. At first it was simply a recognition of the touch while her arm automatically reached up to brush it away, but when a folded piece of paper landed on the back of her paw, she reached out and picked it up. Glancing over at the fox she arched a brow towards him while he mimed opening the paper. Curious, Judy slowly unfolded it, careful to keep Sharla's attention off of her desk.

_'What did you get for #2?'_

She read it once. Then twice. When after the third time without it still not making any sense since they hadn't even been given a problem yet, she risked looking over towards him and gesturing towards the paper confused. Unfortunately, her movement attracted the sight of her black wooled friend and she felt the note being slipped from her paw.

Trying to snatch it back, Sharla just smiled and stuck her tongue out at the doe. Shaking it open, she too seemed confused by the question for a moment before letting out a grin and scribbling on the paper. Putting it back on Judy's desk, she gestured to pass it on to the fox. Judy started to send it over when she realized what Sharla had written down.

_'How about me? 555-0739'_

_That little… She gave MY boyfriend HER number!_ It took her a few breaths to relax but she forced herself to. It really wasn't her fault since Judy never admitted that her and Nick were together, but it still pulled at her. Handing it over to the tod, she watched as he read it quickly, seemed to ponder for a moment, then wrote down something Judy couldn't read. She got her opportunity a few seconds later when Nick gave it back to her to continue it to the sheep. Judy took a quick glance at it and head to cover her mouth to keep from snorting. She quickly passed it along while covering herself with both paws. Sharla kept a grin on her face while she looked down at the note, her smile quickly fading in place of horror.

_'Is this for me to give to Gideon?'_

Nick and Judy both started laughing into their paws, trying desperately to stay quiet. For the first time in her high school years Judy was happy Mrs. Woolers was a bit deaf. Sharla crossed her arms and glared at them.

"Hate you guys."

* * *

It was a complete mystery as to how the two of them managed to stay hidden for the entire day with as much desire to touch and kiss each other that flowed through them. Though it was obvious to them on how crazy in love they were, the quivering while next to one another seeming so transparent and the very not-so-subtle caresses on the arm or tail they managed to sneak in, the rest of the school seemed completely oblivious to them. Even Sharla wasn't noticing anything out of the ordinary, though Judy suspected that had more to do with Nick's comment about Gideon in first period. The black ewe had been blushing and sneaking glances at the large fox all day since then.

They were very nearly outed at one point when Nick had snagged Judy after third period and hauled her into a vacant classroom. The two had managed a crushing hug and a short caress but before their lips could meet they interrupted by a teacher coming in the last second. Thankfully Judy's ears had caught the sound of the adult's hind paws heading down the corridor and was able to hide herself while Nick greeted the teacher on the pretense of grabbing a pair of microscopes from the top shelf as the other biology lab was a 'couple shy.' Nick's good standing with all of the faculty meant no one would ever assume he was doing something he shouldn't. It was a sad look that he cast towards the bunny while following the teacher out. Their opportunity had been ruined and they weren't likely to get another one until much, much later.

After school was much the same way. The first day of class mainly only her and Sharla were down at the track getting back in running shape. The second day however it appeared that every other mammal with intentions to tryout for track and field had come out of the woodwork making the jogging track completely inaccessible. Sharla suggested they take the cross country route through the woods instead. It was a bit longer and not a straight line by any means, but it was mostly deserted so they would be able to move at their own pace. Since the doe was trying to hide her relationship from her friend, Judy had no argument against the idea, though it made her feel a bit sad that she wouldn't be able to watch Nick practice even out of the corner of her eye.

By the time she had managed to complete the jog most of the other runners had left for home taking the soccer players with them. Judy felt a pang in her chest when she couldn't spot any russet fur among the few mammals left at the school. "That was a good run, huh Judes?" During her distraction Judy hadn't noticed Sharla still walking beside her during their cool down on the way to the lockers.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah. Yeah it was great." Her mind was still occupied by the lack of her fox. During the summer it had been tricky but was still possible for the two of them to meet up in the day. More than once they had brought their lunch to meet out by the lake and enjoy a quiet meal together. Now it seemed as if they would never get a moment like that again. She knew that was ridiculous, but emotions have a way of twisting the mind to imagining the worst.

Her friend's distracted state and droopy ears was raising increasing suspicions in the black sheep. No matter how many times Judy swore she was fine and that there was nothing going on, her many years of being best friend's with the doe told her one thing; something was off with the bunny. She had an inkling as to what it may be, but the few times she had tried to bring it up had been met with flat out denial and she doubted doing it again would get a different answer. So Sharla kept it quiet while they showered, bringing up some more school gossip that had appeared that day instead.

"So then Tim, you know Tim, right? Well Tim stood up from his desk, marched right over to Wendy Skipps, ( _Wendy Skipps, Judy!)_  and just bent over and kissed her! Right in class! Well nobody could believe it and Mr. Hambone was so shocked he just stood there. And it looked like he was in the clear because Wendy had this dreamy look on her face and Tim looked all happy and then a white paw caught him across the cheek! Tim ended up walking back to his desk kinda sad but nobody wanted to say anything cause that took like, a  _lotta_  guts to do that. But Johnny, Tim's friend, said she ended up slipping him her number so I guess she was just surprised. They would make an adorable couple."

Sharla tended to ramble a lot especially when it came to rumors and gossip but Judy really didn't mind. It kept her current with the goings-on at school so that she never said something inappropriate or behind the times. It also helped distract her when her mood was sour and today it worked perfectly. Having to straighten out all the relationships in her head that she was having slung at her was more than enough to push her out of her funk for a while.

Eventually they had gotten cleaned and dressed and headed home. Judy's farm was only about five miles away from school if she took a straight line and cut through some fields. Which of course every high school Hopps student took advantage of, so the trail leading through corn crops was well worn, enough so that nothing had grown along that path in years. It was the one which Sharla and Judy would take every day on their way home from school. Sharla's farm, which her parents used to grow barley and potatoes, was the last one before the Hopps's so they got to spend some extra time talking although Sharla still made sure to stay away from the 'forbidden subject' she had taken to thinking of it.

"Bye Jude! See you in the morning," Sharla called out with a wave, her hooves kicking clods of dirt up into the air while sprinting up the rather long path to her house.

"See ya, Sharla." Once again alone with her thoughts and without any distractions, Judy let out a long and heavy sigh. Just two days into the school year and already she was feeling overwhelmed. And for once it had absolutely nothing to do with school. Her grades weren't an issue so she wasn't thinking about them, she wasn't the center of some sort of horrific rumor, and she hadn't been dragged into a scandal dealing with her siblings.

It was all to due with keeping the single greatest thing in her life a secret from everyone. Her parents, her family, her friends…none of them could know about her and Nick. It wasn't a matter of shame. Far from it. She was hopelessly in love with him and she wanted so badly to hold his paw through the school halls and push him up against the lockers to plant a hard kiss on his lips. But they had agreed to keep it to themselves. Their school notoriety was ridiculous and difficult to deal with as it was, but if it came out that they, the school's two brightest, popular, and good looking students had gotten together the school might explode.

The irony was that so many students had been pushing for them to get together in the first place. Matchmaking was a club all of it's own in Bunnyburrow and someone had coined 'WildeHopps' as the top desired match and the one to pull it off would be king of the school for a week. But nothing ever happened. Judy had been adamant about refusing to like the fox because of him always showing her up, and Nick had taken the presumed 'rivalry' as a challenge and antagonized the bunny every day.

If they were to come out now all of that would resurface and they would never find time to be alone together. Especially not if her siblings found out. School would be hard enough to deal with for six or seven hours a day, but coming home to a hundred questions for the rest of the night was something she wanted to avoid like it was a plague. They might end up not having to hide their relationship, but the trade off of not sneaking around would be that finding time together would be even more difficult.

There was also the issue of a small but very loud group of 'Mammal Purists' as they liked to call older mammals unable to move on from the speciesm of the past who termed interspecies relationships as abominations. 'Old-fashioned bigots,' her mother called them. It was not something she was afraid of by any means, but with it being her senior year and that her love for Nick was still new, she really did not want to deal with any of the drama. She wasn't worried about how Nick felt about the plan as most of it had been his idea. He had not wanted his bunny to face any of that hate being sent their way.

 _One day. And one day soon. I'm not going to let this sort of thing keep me from being with Nick and as soon as I can figure out how to make it so we aren't crushed by all the attention I will take that fox's paw in the hall, kiss him by those lockers and even,_ she blushed and let out a small giggle at where her thoughts were going,  _even stroke his tail in class._

But that was something to plan for the future. The now was all about the now. Pulling out her phone, she quickly typed in a number she knew by heart. At this point she could recite it in her sleep. There was no name associated with it and it was not saved as a contact.

_'Home frm school. Missed u. Same 2nite?'_

Keeping her phone in her paw Judy reached her front door and opened it wide. Her mother wasn't there which was a surprise but seeing the fifteen covered pots steaming on the stove told her she definitely had not forgotten dinner.  _Most likely one of the littles broke something again._ She had made it to her room before feeling her phone vibrate, the tiny 'ding' sound signaling it's delivery notification sounding like a heavenly bell. Suddenly giddy, she closed the door a bit harder than she meant to and carelessly dropped her back on the floor before leaping onto her bed, a broad smile on her lips and her ears perked up. The screen on her phone and what was written on it made her sigh happily and roll onto her back, her grin never fading.

_'I'll b there, Fluff. I love u.'_

* * *

Every night since their first meeting had become an agonizing game of waiting for the young doe. Bunnies were spontaneous creatures, driven by impulse and sometimes at the mercy of their own instincts. Patience was not one of their strong suits. In fact it was more of a weakness in many ways. And for Judy, that weakness tended to make her stir crazy while waiting for the sun to set and the clock to tick down until she could slip out of the window.

Homework was brutal this year but with nothing else to distract her since her desire to watch television was almost nonexistent, it was done in the span of a few hours. Normally this would cause a highschool student anxiety from spending so much time hitting the books, but Judy wished it would take longer so the clock's glowing numbers would change faster.

After playing catch with her stuffed bunnies for what felt to her like days, the clock finally read a decent enough time that she could make her way out to meet Nick. She might be waiting an extra ten minutes but she couldn't sit still in her room any longer. Slipping on a light windbreaker to better handle the night air, Judy carefully opened her window and crawled out onto the lawn. She was careful not to let her pant legs brush against the grass because while a few stains wouldn't be noticed, an abundance of them would probably lead to questions from her mother.

She had almost made it around the far corner of the house that faced the forest when a shadow cast by the moonlight brought her up short. With it having two long points above the head, Judy knew another bunny was roaming around outside their burrow. At that time of night there were only a few possibilities. One of her parents which was extremely unlikely since she had heard them turn in hours ago, an older sibling coming home which was also unlikely since that side of the house had no doors in, or someone sneaking out just like her.

Moving up to the corner of the house, Judy poked her head around cautiously to determine exactly who it was she was up against. The moon was nearly full and the light being cast down onto the world illuminated the other rabbit as if it was day. A petite doe with a solid coat of gleaming amber fur was slowly making her way towards the nearest field, taking great care to be as quiet as possible. A pear shaped tail popping up above a black miniskirt had Judy shaking her head. She felt it accentuated her younger sister's rear a little too well and she wasn't thrilled by how much of her abs were showing under the white crop top.

Moving up behind her sister was rather easy for her. She had learned years ago how to travel stealthily, even being invisible to rabbit hearing. It was a crucial skill she felt she would need once she became a cop. "Emily," she said softly. The reaction was exactly what she expected.

The younger doe leapt straight up in the air, startled to the point of shaking. It was only that surprise that kept the bunny from screaming which did them both some good. Whipping around, she fixed her sister with a glare that was half anger and the other half still in shock. "Judy!" She hissed through her teeth. "What are you  _doing_  out here?" She wondered for a moment if her sister had actually snuck out too, but that went away quickly. ' _Officer Judy' would never break our parent's 'laws',_ she thought with an inner scowl.

Judy, who was always quick on her hindpaws, had an answer prepared for that question before she had even crept up behind the other doe. "I saw you sneak out and came to get you back inside. You know leaving in the middle of the night is not allowed. You're fifteen, Em. Who even let you out anyway?" Seeing the amber bunny shift her gaze away, Judy took a stab. "It was Adam, wasn't it?" Adam was one of the older rabbits still living at home. He currently was enrolled in college and also worked part time, but he had recently started letting his younger siblings use his window at night for twenty bucks each use. Emily just nodded her head, her anger falling away to embarrassment.

"Alright I want you back in your room, Em. I won't tell mom and dad but I'm not going to let you sneak out either. And you better text Sean to head on home too. Yeah, that's right," Judy said to her sister's surprised face, "I know about Sean and I could see his headlights through the stalks."

Pulling out her phone, Emily sent a quick text before heading into Judy's room through the window. The gray doe followed her sister and closed the window behind her. She crossed the room and grabbed the knob, opening her door slowly and as quietly as possible. She didn't hear anyone rouse but just to be safe she stuck her head out and looked up and down the hall. "Okay, coast is clear. Just…Em?" She stopped her sister with a touch on her elbow. "Please don't think I'm doing this because I'm 'not fun' or whatever you and the others like to say. I know exactly what it's like to crave a bit of freedom. But I don't want to see my fifteen year old sister getting into her sixteen year old boyfriend's car that I know his parents don't let him drive. Okay? I'm just worried about your safety."

Now that she had taken a few minutes to let herself calm down on the way back in, Emily knew it wasn't fair to hold it against Judy. She was her big sister and was just trying to keep her safe. "Okay Jude. Goodnight. I love you."

"Love you too, Em." Kissing the smaller bunny on her forehead, Judy stepped back into her room and closed her door before locking it and letting her head hang down against her chest. And though it hurt, hurt quite a lot, she picked up her phone and quickly typed a new message to Nick's number. The past messages had been erased like normal. Keeping texts on her phone was just as damaging as contacts and with so many brothers and sisters, a phone was not a guaranteed private domain.

_Sister snuck out. Had 2 stop her. Cant come. Im soooooo srry. Ill c u in the morning, Slick._

Upset by the reality that she missed her chance at getting to be with her fox that night and the knowledge that she would have to endure another school day without that memory to rely on caused her to let out a heavy sigh.

It was some time later after she had fallen asleep that a noise woke her. At first she didn't know what it was and her eyes were still blurry from having just opened them. A rhythmic tapping echoed in her ears, as if hearing nails being dropped one by one on a piece of glass. The word 'glass' registered in her mind and ended up jolting her fully awake in a heartbeat.

Quickly turning towards her window, her heart both leapt into her throat while also plummeting to her stomach. There, just on the other side of the glass, was the grinning face of Nick Wilde. Shaking her head to make sure it wasn't actually a dream, she noticed his paw making a rotating motion near the bottom of the glass wanting her to let him in. She did so with such speed that she feared it would pop out onto the glass.

"Hey Fluff." The much taller tod slinked into her room, sliding his front along the yard to fit through the opening almost too small for him

"Nick," her whisper coming out a bit harsh in her worry, "what are you doing here?"

"Well you said you couldn't come to see me. So I came to see you," he said casually as if it made just as much sense as two plus two.

"Yes but in my  _bedroom?_ " Only then did it really occur to the two where they were. Up until then they had only been able to meet in the woods or the lake or an occasional walk through the fields surrounding the town. Never had they been in each others house. And now the two of them were alone in her bedroom.

Nick's blush seemed unending even beneath his red fur with Judy faring little better. "Nick, you gotta leave." Not only was it a risk to their relationship being made public, but Stu Hopps had a very strict 'no company' in bedrooms. Of course it was rarely ever followed and even less often caught, but Judy really did not want to be put in that situation.

"I will. Trust me I don't want to get caught by your parents anymore than you do, but I just wanted to see you. I've been aching to hold you all day and I don't think I could go another minute without doing it." He spread his arms letting her make the decision. It was one of the things she loved about him. He may sometimes act the 'aggressive predator' role, but with instances like this he let her make the decision.

Judy could not deny herself any longer and stepped into his embrace immediately. She needed the comfort just as much as he did. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let him carry her towards the bed where they cuddled up to each other. "Boy, this is so much more comfortable than the tree." Judy slapped his arm while stifling a giggle herself.

"Hush, fox. Now hug me. We have a lot of catching up to do and only a little time before you gotta get back home." Judy snuggled into the crook of his neck even further letting his musky scent nearly smother her. She could feel Nick let out a rumbling purr while the stroked her ears. The gentle touch along with the pleasurable sound in her ears began to lull her to sleep.

Nick felt the bunny's breaths slow, her heart steadying out and knew she was on the edge.  _And three…two…one…_ Her shallow breath was punctuated by a soft snore that left her adorable nose wiggling.  _That is just too cute. I gotta get up. Can't risk falling asleep here._ But the feel of the doe curled up next to him and the softness of the bed beneath him suddenly had the late hours hitting a little harder than he expected.  _Okay. I can stand to stay a few minutes longer but then I gotta go._ And with that thought, his eyes closed and his dreams began.


	5. Fox in the burrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hoo boy! Looks like Nick got himself into a bit of a pickle last night! As one reviewer said, it's now a Fox in the Bun House! Let's see how our favorite couple handles this. Will their secret be revealed? Will Stu chase the fox out of the burrow with a pitchfork? Will Bonnie stop her husband and instead pack Nick a lunch?
> 
> Slightly shorter chapter today but I think the chaos will be worth it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I found an actual real life Mystic Spring Oasis! Decided to go in there and experience the mammal naturalist side of the world. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a retirement community. Pretty sure I gave a few older ladies heart attacks when I took off that banana hammock...

A shift of his fur and a sudden scent spike was enough to bring the sleeping fox to a semi-resting state. That point between the last vestiges of a dream and conscious mind picking up the world around it. All too often it resulted in mammals hitting the snooze button due to that feeling of still being fatigued. But with enough coaxing it would eventually rouse them to being fully awake.

Nick was currently hovering in that indecisive mode. The dreams he had been having were too good to let slip away, but already the images were fading, only the feeling of pleasant contentment remaining. It was more than enough to make him want to bury his head back in the pillow and get a few more winks in.

 _Huh,_  he thought to himself as his head found the pillow after a bit of searching.  _It feels a lot smaller this morning. Or maybe my head grew. Oh no. I have a tomato head. Well at least it will help with soccer. Man this bed feels small too. Am I a giant fox now? What if I can't fit through the door? What about lunch in the cafeteria? My tater-tots!_

His half-muddled incoherent thought process was alarming enough to his system that the urge to sleep was being driven away slowly. Soon his eyes began to open and blearily take in his surroundings. The walls were slightly off-color to his eyes,  _but then again the curtains are open. Wait why are the curtains open? And why is it so early? And is that mom and dad stomping out there?_  He could not remember his parents ever causing such a tremble through the floor that it felt like hundreds of pairs of feet stampeding up and down the halls.

He was quite ready to yell at them to keep it down and even opened his maw before something else caught his attention. A warmth that was very familiar was coming from his side, partially wrapped around his front as well. Still not quite awake, he looked down to see patches of gray fur mixed with his own and two ears flopped about, black tips on the ends.  _That's Carrots. Oh yeah. I came to see her. And now it's morning. Why do bunnies have to get up so early._  Nick reached down a paw and lightly stroked her ears, smiling at the light chirr of approval coming from her. She looked so sweet and adorable he couldn't help but kiss her between her ears and sigh when she snuggled in closer to him. He laid back in the bed just enjoying the chance to cuddle her. And then something began nagging at the back of his mind. Something that was important but his body was just not awake enough yet to process it.  _There they go again. I swear if a family has three hundred kits like that they should invest in carpet._

His eyes had almost closed before snapping open, the previously drowsy irises now a shocked pool of emerald.  _Carrots. Small bed. Hundreds on bunnies outside the door. Oh freaking HELL._ Now completely awake, he sat up and took in his surroundings. They were indeed curled up in her much too small bed for the two of them, though Judy had solved that issue by literally sleeping on top of him. But his troubles did not seem to end there. At some point in the night he must have gotten overheated because his pants and shirt that he had been wearing the night before were balled up on the floor while he was only in boxers. He cursed himself for doing that much though he felt the should be grateful it was  _only_  that much since he normally slept in the buff and Judy waking up to a completely naked fox in her bed might be a bit too much.

Speaking of his bunny, she was still asleep against his side and panic was starting to kick in. His need for her to be awake was very pressing and so Nick took his large paw and began to gently shake the doe. "Carrots. Carrots you have to get up now."

A light groan emanated from her throat along with a tiny growl which he found so incredible cute he almost decided to leave her sleeping, but that was not a good thing for either of them. A couple of shakes and prods later she finally shifted and opened her stunning eyes, directing them at the fox hanging over her. "Hey there, foxy. What are you doing in my bed you silly?" She was still a bit groggy which he could understand but he didn't have time to let her come out of it naturally.

"Carrots? I need you to wake up now. We have a problem." This got her to raise her brow a bit while her tired look became a confused one.

"What kind of-", her voice broke off immediately in response to a loud and firm knock on her door.

"Judy? Are you awake, hun?" Her eyes filled with fear, the doe quickly mouthed ' _It's my mom!'_ Now it was his turn to feel fear as well. Judy, knowing her mother would often open the doors of unresponsive kits to make sure they got ready for school, quickly piped up.

"Yeah mom, just feeling a bit sluggish. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright dear, I'll see you at the table." The sound of padless hindpaws walking down the hall towards the living room area had Judy letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Nick seemed to have aged several years in those few seconds but he snapped out of it once the knew she was gone.

"Fluff I gotta go now! Your brothers and sisters, your  _parents_ , cannot find me here or we can kiss our midnight rendezvous goodbye. Not to mention I still have to get home and come up with a story to tell my parents where I've been." Hopping out of the bed and reaching for his pants he caught a whiff of his arm. "Or why I smell like rabbit. Oh man it's all over! Okay this is going to be much harder."

"Ya think?" Judy was also up and moving around the room gathering new clothes to change into. "I positively reek of you and while bunnies don't have your nose, they are  _definitely_  going to notice that."

Each began to formulate their own plan while getting dressed. Nick had turned away for her modesty's sake but as he had already been sleeping with her in his boxers he did not require her to do the same. When Nick had finished zipping his cargo shorts and Judy was done buttoning her jeans, they turned back towards each other and whispered a quick goodbye before briefly kissing. Nick moved towards the window and gave her a casual salute which caused her to smile.

"See you first period, Fluff. Love you." And with that he was gone. Now finished with getting the fox out, Judy set to working on her room and clothes. She knew she had  _maybe_  five or ten minutes until her mother sent one of her sisters after her. A sniff of her room and bed told her exactly what she already knew. Nick's musky scent, something she normally craved, was all over the room and there would be no way her family would miss it.

"Desperate times," she muttered to herself. Reaching into her closet and bringing out a small box still partially covered by Christmas wrapping paper, she dipped her paw in and pulled out a globe shaped pink bottle. It was nearly full of liquid. Judy couldn't keep the grimace off her face while opening the top. A short sniff was all it took to make her a bit dizzy but she also knew it was her only option.

Twisting off the cap, the doe began sprinkling drops of perfume over the bed. To her it positively reeked and se tried not to breathe it in too much. She had received it from one of her littermates last Christmas, and to be nice she had tried it on and pretended she loved it, unwilling to hurt her sister's feelings. It had ended up buried in her closet after that, forgotten until she had a use for it. She imagined covering up fox musk was probably not what her sister had in mind. For good measure she also sprinkled some on herself to clear any trace of his scent on her.

"Judy?" Another set of knocks came on her door just as she finished. She could no longer smell Nick's musky scent which made her a bit sad, but the overpowering stench of the perfume was enough to make her gag. The handle turned which shocked Judy a bit since she was positive she had locked it which made their display all the more risky.

When the sight of Emily, the amber doe she had caught sneaking out the night before, appeared In the doorway, Judy realized she had an ace up her sleeve and she got ready to use it. "Mom said she wants you at the table for break….fast…" Her nose began wiggling as the overwhelming smell hit it. "Ugh! My god, Judy! What the heck it that?"''

"Oh that? Well you see, after I caught you ' _sneaking out'",_ Judy enjoyed the look of shame flitting across her sister's eyes. "I had been so tired that I didn't see where I was going and accidentally hit the bottle with my knee and sent it flying across the room. Covered pretty much everything, including me. But I was too tired to deal with it last night so I'm gonna go take a shower so I can go to school without smelling like I took a bath in this stuff." Shooing Emily out the door, Judy went over and opened the window to air out the room and then headed out while closing the door behind her.  _I hope you're having an easier time, Nick._

* * *

While the trip to his house was a fair distance away, Nick was taking his time trying to get there. He knew he needed to have a good explanation as to why he would be coming through the front door feeling completely awake instead of trudging down the stairs with eyes still crusted over with sleep and in a grumpy mood. He knew there was no way he could sneak back into the house once his parents were up. His only comfort was it was too early for them to begin pounding on his door and so they would not be worried about him missing.

It was a much different and more serious problem that was brought up with the breeze, the strong scent of bunny enveloping his nose.  _That_  was going to be the ultimate kicker. He had a plan for explaining being outside of the house before dawn, but trying to explain away such a strong scent covering most of his body? He was drawing a complete and utter blank.

Mile after mile of his journey disappeared beneath his feet while his brain refused to cooperate. It certainly did not help that he couldn't get the image of his fair doe from his thoughts and the feel of her body curled into his own seemed to be permanently engrained into his mind. He hoped she had found a way to mask his musk and get a shower quickly.

The thought of her cleaning his scent from her fur under a hot shower quickly turned into much lewder images in his head as it often did with teenagers. It also caused him to blush, his skin beneath the fur heating up. Even his russet coloring would not protect him if someone had been around to see his self-inflicted embarrassment.

Trying to dissipate his rather suggestive imagination, he felt a tiny flash of an idea spark.  _Water. Obviously a shower would be the best way but there's absolutely no chance of getting past my parents to reach it without them getting a whiff of Judy on me. Sooo…_  Nick made a minor course correction and headed for a place he and Judy knew very well. Cresting a moderate ridge, he looked down over a slow but still strong waterfall.  _W_ _e'll just have to improvise._

He congratulated himself on his brilliant plan all the way up until he strode into the water. He immediately yanked his foot free and hopped up and down trying to get it warm again. "Holy crap that is COLD!" The last time he and his young bunny lass had ventured into the stream it had been before the rainy season in July so the water was lower and much warmer. Now in September it felt like dipping his toes into a frozen lake.

Swinging his arms back and forth while hopping up and down he started giving himself a pep talk. "Okay Nick, you got this. Sure. it's a bit cold but you've done worse. Remember that runoff pipe you rode an inner tube down as part of a dare? That was pretty cold. And you ended up in the sewer too! This is just wading in and quickly scrubbing yourself clean." The other side of his thoughts however were not on board with the plan. "Except for the fact that it's freaking  _freezing_  in there! Probably get hypothermia. Frostbite. Lose our tail!" That was enough to cause him to shiver while his fur puffed out in all directions. "But the other option is to come home after being out all night and reeking of cottontail. Cause mom'll  _love_  that." Just the idea of his mother's nose twitching made the decision for him and he dove into the ice cold water.

The shock to his system was severe and if he hadn't already been spooked by the idea of being caught in his girlfriend's bed it would have immediately woken him to full alertness. It took a lot of self control for him to not immediately run from the water when the chill began to set in. However, he knew a quick dip would not be enough to rinse Judy's scent completely and his emerald eyes slowly tracked over the rock face to where the water poured over the lip. He gulped hard while slowly making his way towards what would most likely be the worst part of his day.

A short and  _very_  cold time later, a soaked fox, who looked more like an overgrown drowned rat, could be seen walking down the forest path leading to his home. It was a nightmare being under all that water not to mention his clothes were plastered to his fur making it a miserable walk. He was collecting quite an assortment of leaves and pine needles under his feet and partway up his calves where they stuck and began to clump his fur. He was not going to enjoy combing that out after his shower.

Even though it had been a rough morning, he would't have traded his time with Judy for anything. And it all seemed to be working out. They hadn't gotten caught, Judy had most likely figured out a way to handle her situation, and his was fully taken care of. Or so he thought until the next breeze made it through the woods and up the path.

A sudden rush of bunny hit his nose like a ton of bricks and it caused his eyes to open wide. On the way home his fur had started to dry out a bit and it was quickly becoming clear that water, even with a rough scrub, was not enough to get rid of the oils from Judy's fur. His plan was becoming a disaster and worse he had almost run out of time. His house was less than half a mile away and the only plan he had come up with was now a bust.

 _Okay. I need to shower to get rid of the smell but I won't be able to get past mom and dad to take one before they catch the scent. So. If I can't clean it…hide it!_ The answer felt so simple once he put it together, but then he began pinching the bridge of his nose as the reality set in.

"Oh crap. Please. Please tell me this is not happening." Closing his eyes and peeking through nearly light-locked eyelids hoping to see it was all just a bad dream, it served to only depress him further when he saw nothing had changed.

"Welp. Let's get this over with." This time Nick headed right but did not follow an actual trail. Instead he stepped over logs and jumped a few small trenches filled with water until coming to a small decline that he had unfortunately wandered into several months before. The incident with the mud pit he was currently standing over was something he swore to never allow himself to do again. Until apparently that morning. "God I hope this works," were his final words muttered to himself before leaping in.

Vivienne Wilde was experiencing something unusual that morning. Everything had seemed to go smoothly. None of the breakfast had gotten burnt which was a miracle by itself. John had been able to shower, dress, and eat breakfast in a much more orderly manner than usual and he left for work on time for the first time in weeks. She was only worried about what might happen when Nicholas woke up.

She loved her kit fiercely, was always proud of his accomplishments and grades, but he left a lot to be desired in the mornings. As a nocturnal mammal herself, Valorie knew it was difficult to get going in the morning and most vulpine relied on some form of caffeine to get by, but they usually had adapted to aspect of life by their early teens. Nick was taking far longer than most which made things a bit troublesome on occasion. It had only increased the past several months where he might not get up until nearly noon each day. She and her husband had chalked it up to school vacation but if she didn't see an improvement soon she was going to approach him directly.

Turning her attention back to the dishes she began to work on the next pot which had been a stubborn one to clean, the dried spaghetti noodles hanging on with an unnatural strength. With the water running and her radio on, she almost didn't hear the entrance door swing open. The vixen wheeled around in surprise. With John gone to work, no one should be coming through that door. And then she saw it enter. A hideous beast daring to step into her home. "Nicholas Wilde! Why are you covered in mud? And get back on the porch, you're tracking it in everywhere."

"Oh right. Sorry mom," he said apologetically, quickly stepping back outside while his mother gathered a kitchen towel to wipe up the mud prints he had caused.

Finishing the cleanup, Vivienne tossed the towel in the hamper nearby. She grimaced knowing she would have to do a prewash of it if she didn't want to clog up the washing machine. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of. You mister," she pointed at the young tod through the screen door, "have some explaining to do. How did you get outside? And what happened to you?"

"Well," he began, focusing on keeping to the script he had concocted in his head, "I was having trouble sleeping last night. Soccer practice kind of got my adrenaline goin', you know? So I decided to go for a walk like I used to do in the city. You remember those?" Vivienne nodded thoughtfully. She could recall when her son would show up. back at their apartment in the very early mornings and knock on the door to be let back in. He was notorious for losing his keys. "Well, it's been a long while since I had done that so I decided to go take a stroll through the woods to help get me wound down. Get me a bit tired so I could come home and get some shut eye before school. Only that didn't exactly work out."

"Obviously," Vivienne pointed out. She wasn't too upset with Nick. She knew that leaving the city had been rough on him at first. It had been rough on them all in fact and it took her a lot longer to get used to it than the males. "So why are you only coming back now and why are you covered in mud?"

"Well," he started a bit sheepishly while rubbing a paw on the back of his neck. "I sort of fell asleep under a tree while watching the stars." Only being a few feet from his mother and only a wire mesh screen keeping them separate, the fact that her nose hadn't once twitched told him the mud covering was working. She would only need to get past her and take a shower upstairs to get rid of the scent.

"Uh-huh. And the mud?" With the way her brow raised, Nick was certain she had seen through his story but he had one last sympathy card to try.

"I…um…I…" his stammering was for dramatic effect but with downcast eyes and bringing a slight hesitation in looking her way, he could see her features start to soften. "I've been in the woods before but last night I was having a dream, and not the good kind, about being back in Zootopia." He felt slimier than the mud the was covered in for lying to his mother, but his feelings for Judy outweighed the potential grounding he would get if she found out. And it really wasn't  _lying,_ he told himself. Just leaving out a few parts. "I didn't recognize where I was and I stumbled into a pond, and it was  _really_  cold, and I ran out because it was  _sooo_  cold and fell off a hill into a giant mud swamp."

As he planned, the vixen's sympathy was greater than her suspicion. "Oh Nicky. You always were one to do things the hard way. Alright just…go spray yourself down with the hose and then head upstairs and get cleaned for school." Watching her son head around the back of the house she couldn't help but shake her head.  _Foolish kit. Gonna hurt himself one of these days._ She headed back towards the dishes but her mind was now occupied on something strange she had noticed about Nicholas. While she could smell wet fox and the muted odor of the mud, there was also a scent she thought seemed familiar but it was so faint she just couldn't place it.


	6. The Secret Keeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Phew! They barely escaped that one! That perfume must be terribly awful stuff to mask fox musk so well. But Nick's mother may have caught a thread. What will happen if she starts to unravel it? (0_0)
> 
> And look! We have a cover art now! Major props and thanks to Ocerydia from DeviantArt (profile name is the same). Woot!  
> https://ocerydia.deviantart.com/art/Cover-A-rival-romance-737176825
> 
> Disclaimer: I had a crazy dream about a Zootopia video game. And the best part? It was VR! We could actually LIVE in Zootopia! Unfortunately it was so real and so addictive that society crumbled while everyone tried to live their whole lives in the fictional world. Until we started splicing genomes to turn us all into evolved mammals like in the movie. The Furries had won.

"Hey Judy, wait up!"

Normally on her walk to school Judy would try to avoid all of her siblings. It was a rare occasion for her to be alone with her thoughts and it was a time she valued because it gave her the freedom to think about her future without getting a sassy remark sent her way about how she most likely would not make it into the police academy. However the sweet and bubbly voice behind her was one of the few who could make her set that time aside.

"Hey Sarah!" She greeted her younger sister cheerfully, the multi-colored doe skipping up right beside her. Sarah Hopes was a bit of an anomaly. While albinos were fairly uncommon in the burrows, large families stood a fairly high chance of having one born. The Hopps family had three of their own. However, Sarah was a rabbit of a far rarer type.

Normally a rabbit was born with one or two colors, most often a white or cream color running from chin down over the belly with a darker tone covering the rest. Judy herself was colored gray and white. Having three colors certainly brought attention and those bunnies especially does, often found themselves extremely popular with the opposite sex as they were considered 'exotic.' Four colors though was something rarely even heard about, let alone seen.

With her sister bounding closer, Judy took a few seconds to admire those colors in Sarah's fur. The fur covering her shoulders and along her neck was as pure white as the freshest snow and it continued over most of her face. In contrast over her right eye and extending over her entire right ear was fur as pitch black as the night sky. A cloudy gray that would be seen in a thunderstorm coated most of her left ear and to finish it off, her legs were a dark chestnut brown beneath her skirt wrap. She was the only one anyone had seen in Bunnyburrow since before even her parents were born.

Their Pop-Pop would tell them stories about bunnies like Sarah and how they were treated like demons, cast out by their families and forced to walk through the world alone. It would scare Sarah as a child so their parents put an end to it, but no one took Pop-Pop seriously anyways. He would still claim foxes kept stealing his teeth in the middle of the night and that wolves would egg his house when he would go to the store. It was actually several of Judy's younger siblings that would egg his windows because they loved watching him get mad and hop up and down in a fit.

As it was Sarah was seen by the rest of the town as intriguing but that was about as far as it went. She turned down every buck or doe that came her way and eventually they stopped asking but there were never any hard feelings about it. In Bunnyburrow a rejection meant very little as it was quite likely they would have a date lined up in the next hour. Instead, Sarah devoted her time to studying medicine. Her dream was to follow Judy to the big city to help make the world a better place.

"Interesting morning, huh?" The question was asked without any sly tone, no sideways glance, and no suggestive wording. It raised an alarm in Judy, something her father coined her 'manure detector' due to her uncanny ability to detect a lie.

"Not sure what you mean, Sarah."  _That's it. Play it calm, let it roll off you. It's not what you are thinking about so just relax._

"Really? I thought you would surely know what it meant. I mean that hallway reeked of that terrible perfume after all." It took Judy a moment to realize what she was saying and then dropped her guard with the answer.

"Oh yeah. Pretty powerful stuff. Shame I spilled all of it." It was hard for Judy to stop a grin at the knowledge she would never be forced to wear that god awful smell again. Sarah cupped her paw over her own mouth to stifle a giggle. She knew exactly how much Judy hated perfume and that perfume was probably the worst either of them had ever smelled.

"Yeah. Also how Nick almost got caught in your room." Nodding absentmindedly, Judy let her imagination flit back to the panic the bunny and fox had felt only a short while ago. It had nearly caused her a heart attack when she heard her mother calling through the door. She began to relate that to her sister before the realization of what she had just said hit her.

With extremely wide eyes Judy slowly turned her head to look at her sister, noting the smug expression on her face. "What are you- I mean that's- so not real- I-…" Her shock prevented her from coming up with a believable denial and Sarah's smirk continued to grow. A fierce battle raged within her head but soon she admitted she had finally be caught. At least it had been Sarah of all of their siblings. "How did you find out?"

"Well, that would be a long,  _long_  story," she said with definitive emphasis on the 'long' leading Judy to surmise she had known for quite a while. "I'm learning to be a doctor, sis. Part of that involves keeping a watch on other mammals to recognize certain…symptoms I guess you could say. And hundreds of siblings gives me a decent pool to look at. You've been giving off a look for months and your attitude changed significantly shortly before the end of the school year. It took only one afternoon where I went to clean the bathroom and picked up your shirt that had fallen out of the hamper to smell the fox musk. Pretty easy to draw a line between the two." While mortified at having been exposed, even to just one of her sisters and thankfully she was the most trustworthy, she was impressed with Sarah's power of deduction. "That and I saw him sneak out the window this morning while I was getting some honeysuckle for my locker."  _And impressed with her amount of dumb luck._

"I see. Well, you know I must kill you now." Sarah rolled her eyes but also let out a small chuckle at her sister's antics.

"Oh no!" Her cry reeked of exaggerated drama and Judy knew where it was leading. "Ahhh! Blood, blood, blood…and  _death_." Though it had been years since Judy's play performance during Carrot Day, several of her siblings and friends refused to let it be forgotten. Sarah was probably the worst of all, actually going all out with the motions.

Reading the look of apprehension on her sister's face Sarah put out a paw and laid it on the gray bunny's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ju-Ju. I'm not gonna spill the beans. There's probably a reason you aren't public with it and I'll back you one hundred percent."

The reassurance helped soothe Judy's anxiety, allowing her to breathe a bit easier. "Thank you, Sarah. It's very important to me, to  _us_ , that we get to have this to ourselves. At least while we can." She and Nick had already discussed the fact that there was no chance their secret relationship would make it all the way to graduation so they decided to just make it about themselves for as long as possible. Although while Judy would be completely fine with having Nick walk through their front door to meet everyone as her boyfriend, the incident this morning was a whole other situation. Boys waking up in a Hopps daughter's bed usually found themselves being chased by an unruly mob of brothers or an angry dad with a pitchfork.

Nearing the school the two does could see several buses already lined up and dropping kits and cubs off. It was fairly common for those walking from the Hoops warren to get there about the same time as those riding the bus, especially when so many bunnies at the school meant the drivers would have to make several trips. "Look." Sarah jostled her sister's elbow with her own, gaining the doe's attention so she could point a white paw towards the buses. "It's your foxy toy over there."

"Shh!" Judy clapped her paw over Sarah's lips before wildly glancing around. With all of the long ears around them she was worried one of them would have overheard their discussion. Thankfully everyone seemed more interested in talking with their own friends or starting the school day rather than trying to piece together a conversation. "Didn't I just say I wanted to keep this quiet? And he's not my 'toy'. We haven't done anything."

Sarah didn't even bother trying to stop her brow from raising. "Really? Cause a boy sneaking out of a bunny's bed early in the morning usually means  _something_  was going on." Judy's ears turned a deep red as she blushed at the insinuation.

"Yeah.  _Sleeping._ " She folded her ears down so she could pretend they weren't burning heavily. "I always meet him in the woods but last night I caught Emily sneaking out to go to a party with Sean so I had to cancel. But yesterday was so miserable for the both of us not getting to be with each other that Nick came to the house and crawled in to visit me. And then I guess we were both kind of tired and we sort of just…drifted off I guess."

As Judy rarely ever lied it had been easy to form a baseline of her facial expressions when she did. It was interesting that as honest as the gray bunny was and how much she held the law in reverence, she really did not count a lie by omission as a lie. However a blatant denial was something easily measured and Sarah didn't detect any untruthfulness from her sister.

"Alright, so you and… _him_  haven't actually done anything. Are you planning to? Cause you know the old saying. Bunnies can get pregnant just by holding paws and you're still in school." Sarah's warning seemed a bit extreme but had an unfortunate amount of merit behind it. There was protection that companies seemed to make half their profit from rabbit high schools but those didn't always work. There were three pregnant does in Judy's class alone. Two more in Sarah's only a grade below.

"Nope. Not until graduation anyways. I'm not willing to risk getting pregnant this early in life especially if I intend to join the ZPD and Nick has his own reasons." She felt it was a bit too intimate a subject to discuss except with her fox, even with Sarah who was the closest mammal to her in the world.

"Ah yes. The whole 'mate for life' thing." Out of shock, Judy whipped her he had around to look at her sister before her rational thoughts caught up.  _Of course she would know. Probably did just as much research into fox culture and mating practices as I did._ And as if Judy's thoughts had been heard, Sarah shrugged before walking on as casually as she had been. "I did my research after I found out."

"Yes, well…" Judy found herself a bit disgruntled. Sarah seemed to know her relationship just as well as she did, at least in the technical aspects. "He's got a bit of experience in the dating scene from Zootopia High, but obviously foxes don't go that far until they are sure and they take a very long time doing that. He said his parents dated for nearly three years before they sealed the deal."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully. While she had read up on foxes to make sure Nick wouldn't hurt Judy since she had not had many successful chances at a relationship, though that was mainly just her overprotectiveness coming through, she had come across that bit of information about foxes and determining mates. Suddenly he seemed far less threatening as a boy just interested in getting into her sister's pants. "Speaking of, he's headed this way."

* * *

Satisfied with how well his plan had gone off, not knowing his mother had caught an unknown scent from him even with the excessive amount of cover he had employed, Nick congratulated himself with a mental pat on the back. Even as chaotic as the morning had been, all before getting on the bus even, he felt that he had pulled off the impossible and kept their secret going. He didn't worry for a moment about Judy. There was zero doubt in his mind that she had pulled it off and most likely in a stupendous fashion.

The rumble of the bus seats beneath him as the vehicle pulled away from his driveway caused a small pain to radiate through his tail bone. It was an easy price to pay each morning so he didn't have to walk several miles so early in the morning. It was doubly appreciated that particular morning as he had already had to endure a long walk through the woods.

Surprisingly, he was finding himself completely wide awake even after the ridiculous amount of drama that morning before and after his hike through the forest. Most mornings, practically every morning, it was a chore on his parents to get the covers off of him let alone have him showered, fed, and out the door on time. It would take half the bus ride and a full thermos of coffee he always had with him before his eyes would be fully open. It usually took the rest of the ride before he would even be able to open a book let alone sit through class.

That morning however he was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he was when he was a kit. He might have been eight years old watching Saturday morning cartoons again.  _I don't know if it was the threat of impending doom or the fact that I was waking up next to my beautiful bunny but I will definitely be good for the rest of the day. Well, as long as I get a coffee by lunch._

Nick wasn't sure if his perception of time had changed or if the bus had decided to take a longer route than ever before, but he knew without a doubt that it was the most agonizing bus ride to school he had ever experienced. It was the image of his purple-eyed doe that had him anxious to get to school as well as what was making the trip unbearable.  _It's a double-edged sword, this 'love' thing._ Thankfully he wasn't without some sort of distraction considering the two mammals directly in front of him.

"There's no way you can possibly think that Kirk was a better captain than Picard." A slightly overweight porcupine was scrolling through his smartphone pulling up pictures and the occasional website that Nick could see was dedicated to Star Trek. "Look at this. See these stats?" He flashed them to the mammal sitting next to him up against the window, a ram wearing large spectacles that seemed to magnify his beady eyes. "Picard has saved millions of lives over what Kirk did, he's a respected diplomat, and never backs down from a fight and always wins, not to mention besting the entire Q Continuum over and over."

Nick shook his head at the two of them. Since he had arrived in Bunnyburrow he had seen those two constantly going at it about everything sci-fi and fantasy related. The start of the first school week had them currently arguing about who the better captain in Star Trek was.

"Nope. Never gonna convince me of that. Kirk was a total ladies wolf, I mean the green she-wolves goes without saying, as well as being a badass in the captain's chair or standing with his fists ready. Heck he even killed that Gorn in episode eighteen." They seemed to be split down the morals center. Timmy, the porcupine, was focused more on diplomacy and being the 'savior of the universe' type while Kevin, Timmy's best friend since they were in diapers, was focused more on Kirk's fighting skill and ease at getting females in the sack. It was a fairly common sight. While they were inseparable in school and outside of it, on the bus they became total opposites.

"And I'm telling you that you're wrong. The Gorn episode would never have happened because you wouldn't be able to build a rocket launcher like that, not to mention even alien diamonds would just explode and kill Kirk in the process."

"Oh and I suppose Picard would just  _negotiate_  with him?" They went back and forth for quite a while, discussing odd episodes and why it supported who was the best and for what reasons.

"I think Archer was the best captain." A third voice chimed in. Timmy and Kevin both slowly turned their heads, looks of sheer disbelief in their wide eyes. Even Nick, who didn't have much stake in the conversation, glanced over with a blank look on his face. Suddenly finding himself pinned beneath three pairs of eyes all with varying amounts of pity within them, the pig shrunk a bit in his seat. "You know…from 'Enterprise'?"

Timmy and Kevin exchanged looks and just shook their heads.

By the time the bus dropped them off at school, Nick's head was spinning with a ridiculous amount of info about Star Trek captains and ships and episodes to the point where he couldn't even remember what his first period class was. Letting the group plod ahead of him the tod looked towards the side road where he knew the Hopps walkers came from to see if he could spot a familiar pair of black tipped ears. It wasn't as unique a trait as he would have liked but with so many bunnies all from the same buck and doe it would be impossible for none of them to share some looks, he figured while turning his eyes from what must be the ninth rabbit with those markings.

When he finally did spot her and a familiar warmth spread throughout his chest, everything around him faded away. Separated by a hundred feet and surrounded by hundreds of students and to him it was if none of it existed. He felt like he could reach out and cup her cheek from where he stood and nobody would be th-

"Hey! Watch it, jerk!" Nick had been letting his mind wander which would be harmless enough, but unfortunately his paw had followed along. What in his mind was caressing his girlfriend had actually knocked the hat off a  _now_  very cross beaver. Shooting Nick a final glare the large rodent picked his hat up off the ground and stalked away, muttering to himself. "Damn jocks think they can just do whatever they want." Feeling a bit embarrassed he glanced around a few times to make sure he had avoided making a fool of himself but in the crowd no one had really noticed a thing. Casting his gaze back towards his bunny his smile grew brighter as he caught sight of his second favorite doe in the world.

Using his uncommonly lithe frame, the soccer star maneuvered through the throngs of students all starting to pile through the doors. It took him a minute or so, once getting caught in a seemingly endless tide of cheerleaders who were practicing while heading into the building, but eventually he emerged for the most part unscathed.

Spotting the two does just ahead of him, Nick loped up to them with a half-lidded look and a smug grin. He had to force himself not to give himself away and show much the fox wanted to grab his bunny. To envelop her with his arms and nibble on her delicate neck. To let his tongue slide alongside hers while they forgot everything else around them.

Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen with Sarah Hopps standing right at her side, but he couldn't find himself able to become irritated with the sweet doe. "Hey, Sundae. How's life been treatin' ya?" Sarah's white cheek and the insides of her ears grew pink. Judy had to resist rolling her eyes. Her sister wasn't immune to Nick Wilde's charms anymore than the rest of the town.

"Hey Nick. I've been good. I've been looking into possibly doing some summer internships at the Tri-County hospital next year. I hope it will look good on my college transcripts."

"I'm sure it will. You'll patch me up for free, right?" The playful tone in his voice made the painted doe giggle embarrassingly.

"I'm not a doctor yet,  _Red._ " At least once a week ever since the two had met last year Sarah had been trying on a new nickname for him, a bit of payback for the one he gave her the first day. She wouldn't deny that she loved it, but it was the principle of the thing.

Amused by the young doe, Nick simply grinned, flashing his fangs. Judy had to suppress a strong urge to push him up against the closest tree she could find. Sarah meanwhile was staring at them with undisguised fascination, though her interest was strictly in predator physiology. She never seemed to be able to turn off her 'learning' mode as Judy called it.

"Okay but when you are don't be surprised if you find me in your office wanting free expensive treatments for stubbed toes and jammed claws." Winking at the multi-colored bunny, gaining another blush in response, he turned to the gray rabbit. "Hey Carrots. What's up? Think you'll finally beat me in math today? The test we got is supposed to be a killer."

His grin faded a little when he noticed how Judy's eyes kept flicking towards her sister rapidly. Sarah, who had been standing nearby with a smile, soon felt the tension from the gray doe and sighed heavily. "Jeez alright. I'll head in. You two do whatever you gotta do before the bell. Looks like the hill is clear for now." With that and a sarcastic wave Sarah headed for the front doors, leaving the two mammals alone for the first time since their 'episode' that morning.

"What was-"

"Sarah knows!" Judy's cry caught him completely off guard making the fox choke on his words. Spluttering he tried to regain his composure.

"She knows? What do you mean she knows?!" They had taken extreme care to keep their relationship away from everyone, especially Judy's siblings since rumors spread like wildfires in that burrow. Apparently though they hadn't done a very good job.

"Yeah. She figured it out a long time ago, though seeing you sneak out of my room didn't help I'm sure." She watched as her tod rubbed his paws over his muzzle, concern evident in his eyes. She needed to calm him down but thankfully his friendship with her sister would help. "Nick, relax. It's Sarah, remember? Easily the most trustworthy bunny the Hopps clan has ever produced. You know her. She won't tell anyone."

After taking several deep breaths, Nick had managed to bring himself back to a semblance of normal. He had to admit Judy was right. If there was one mammal that they could trust with a secret, it was the incredibly sweet doe that had just left. "Okay. So. That's happened and…yeah so…ummm…" Still rocked a bit by the bombshell Judy had just hit him with, Nick cast his thoughts out for something to grab on to. "Did you figure out the morning thing?"

Judy's blush was countered by the short roll of her eyes at Nick's decision to call their close call as a 'morning thing'. "Yeah. Dumped that horrible perfume Jasmine gave me for Christmas last year all over the room."

That explained the weird smell Nick had caught when he had arrived. His nose had been itching slightly but had not been able to place it. Now that she had told him he could just detect the faint smell lingering. He remembered how awful that stench had been the last time he had gotten a whiff of it so the fact that it was so diluted told him she definitely had worked hard to get rid of it.

"Effective. I had to go a bit crazier to deal with my mom's nose. Made a stop over by our waterfall." Judy's eyes grew huge before clapping a paw to her lips, stifling a laugh. "Oh yeah, laugh it up, Fluff. I can tell you that that water is  _freezing._  But it doesn't end there, ohhhh no. 'Wet fox' does not a scent mask make. So your lovable red-furred vulpine humiliated himself even further for our secret torrid affair and jumped into a mud swamp." This time Judy's paws couldn't hold back the laughter and she fell to her knees while clutching her sides.

Nick couldn't help but smile at his cute bunny. She was adorable no matter what state she was in. But when she was laughing, pure unconcealed joy along her face, she was breathtaking. He was unable to resist anymore, the animal inside him demanding to be set free, to take what he wanted and damn those around him that may see him do it. Pulling his bunny to her feet, he tilted her head back gently. Her laughter had ended, her voice now silent as she stared into the deep emerald pools of her fox's eyes. Breath catching in her throat, she moved herself closer to him while closing her eyes slowly. Nick had already mirrored her actions and they felt their lips connect.


	7. One of those days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some of you would dare believe my sweet and innocent (for the most part) Sundae would dare to spill the carrots on her sister's secret romance? For shame! She would never do such a thing. Probably.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction and does not reflect any of my time spent in an anthropomorphic high-school. That place had way less drama.

While having lost themselves to their kiss, Judy had kept her ears primed for any students that may be approaching the school late. It would most likely ruin their day to have been so careful not to be exposed and trip at the finish line. Thankfully they were not interrupted and spent several minutes basking in each others company, his long muzzle pressed softly against her much smaller lips. It had taken them some practice since their two species seemed designed to have never come together like they had, which was the truth of their ancestry. However they had never complained about the nights where they made sure to get it right.

Sadly they had to break apart when the second bell rang. It signaled that there was only a few minutes before first period would begin and neither of them had visited their lockers. It would not be comfortable, but the fox and bunny found themselves carrying their entire day's worth of books in their far too small backpacks.

Taking a final moment to look at each other, Judy couldn't help the blush that started on the inside of her ears under the intense gaze of the fox. Nick was having difficulty reigning in his desires, wanting to capture her lips again and again, taking her somewhere secluded so they could lay beneath the trees and cuddle together instead of having to hide their glances and clamp down on their emotions. But ultimately it was a fools quest. He knew all too well that Judy Hopps would not skip school, even for a promise of time alone and away from prying eyes.

"I need to go. First class is English Lit. with Fields. She's starting us on pre-peace era. Gotta focus on symbology and whatnot." By the grimace on her face Nick had a feeling she wasn't too fond of the idea. He really would't be either. Any predator stories would more than likely include graphic depictions of ritual hunts and casual meal gathering. The idea of a mouse teaching that subject willingly would have been odd enough, but every student knew she did it enthusiastically which bordered on concerning.

"Well that sounds…interesting." He chuckled while giving her a sympathetic look. "I have to get to Biology. Today Mr. Steerling is having us dissect a fish and I need to get there early. Last year Bobby Catmull ate all of the fish before class. The formaldehyde they were coated in put him in the hospital for three days."

"I remember that," Judy said between giggles. "Bobby looked so awful. I don't think he made it ten feet down the hall before grabbing that trash can!" The two of them shared another short laugh before reaching out and pressing their paws together briefly.

"See you second period, Carrots," Nick gave the doe a wink, his signature smirk present on his muzzle. A quick wave was the last thing she saw of him before the double doors clicked shut. With a sigh of longing, Judy headed towards the other entrance that was closer to her classroom.

"Well that looked just adorable." Judy let out a startled squeak, her instincts causing her to bounce several feet in the air while her bag fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She spun around to face whoever had startled her with paws raised, her police training automatically kicking in to deal with the threat, only to be staring into the face of a bunny laughing hysterically.

Judy let out a low growl, unamused by her sister's antics. "Sarah, don't you ever do that again. Have you been there the whole time?" Her scowl suddenly twisted into one of shock, the growl becoming a horrified gasp. "You're going to be late for first period!"

Sarah rolled her eyes while shaking her head. Trust 'Judy on Duty' to be more concerned with her sister getting to her classes on time than being spied on during a rather intimate moment with her secret boyfriend.

"Yeah, no worries about that. Hornsby called out a few minutes ago and they don't have a sub lined up so I pretty much have a free period." Shrugging her backpack tighter to her shoulders, Sarah dragged her ears down over her shoulders and began to fiddle with the tip of the right one, a habit she had developed whenever she was feeling a bit restless. The stark contrast between her snow white paw and the ebony colored fur of her ear never failed to capture even Judy's attention for a moment, the gray doe's violet eyes flicking to the movement.

"I swear if that goat's sister wasn't married to the superintendent he would have been fired years ago. I mean, who hires a hypochondriac to teach at a high school? One of the most germ ridden places in the world and they expect him to  _not_  imagine a new disease six times a day." It was common knowledge that getting assigned Hornsby's class was a mixed blessing. No one cared about attendance so not many showed up whenever he was out, regardless of a sub or not, but the subject was left so disjointed that most students would basically have to teach themselves in order to pass.

Judy grabbed her own bag and slung it over her shoulder before falling into step beside Sarah, the two does heading down the hallway. Unbeknownst to Judy, a small section of seam had become frayed over the last year in the bottom of her backpack and the recent drop had caused it to slowly separate.

Once the bell had rang, signaling first period was over, the small horde of students forcing themselves out of the classroom looked somewhat like live sardines had been packed inside a can and were desperate to get out. The reason at first glance was not obvious, but several bunnies looked queasy and even Judy's eyes were a bit glassy.

Chasing them out the hall on two very tiny legs came Mrs. Fields, the mouse shouting as loud as she could to reach ears two feet or more above her. "Make sure to read pages one hundred twenty seven to one hundred fifty two for next class. We'll be discussing why authors include the symbology of Jack the Savage and explore them in further detail ourselves, including why the buck targeted mostly vixen prostitutes."

A few nearby bucks close enough to hear the tiny female found their ears suddenly springing to attention at the mention of the word 'prostitutes', something Mrs. Fields did not miss and gave them scathing glares in response. "Move along to second period, boys." Turning on a heel she stepped back into her classroom muttering under her breath about 'immature high schoolers.'

Judy mainly focused on getting through the crowded halls as quickly as she could before the flow became too dense. She needed to get to her locker and drop off her books before moving on otherwise it was going to be a long day of hoisting them around by her shoulders.

With the steady stream of students piling into the halls, the gray doe found herself being jostled on all sides. Her locker was just down the hallway and around the next right curve but for all of the progress she made it may as well have been over in Deerbrooke County. At some points she even found herself being carried backwards, losing every step she had made.

Just as she had resigned herself to forgetting about her locker until lunchtime and making her way to her next class, the feel of a paw suddenly landing on her rear made her practically leap in shock, a startled squeak escaping her lips. Wheeling around, Judy looked for the guilty buck or doe who had just groped her. She knew it wasn't Nick because he wouldn't do that in public, not to mention the paw size was way too small which ruled out most of the predators. Hooves ruled out a good majority of the other prey species so it had most likely been another rabbit.

It didn't take her more than a second to lock eyes with the one responsible and it sadly wasn't a surprise when she did. A tan buck, whose fur was peppered with dirt smudges, was leering at her. His smile had a greasy quality to it, one that matched his dishonest and chauvinistic attitude.

"Matt. Cottons." Just the name felt like slime in her ears. The buck had been a sleaze since middle school and had only gotten worse as the years had gone by. He had had more than a few complaints about harassment from other students but it never went past a few suspensions. "If you touch me again, you won't be able to hold a pen in that paw for the rest of the year."

"Oh c'mon, Judy," the smug and and arrogance pouring from the rabbit was almost seeable, "don't you think it's about time you gave up on that whole 'bunny cop' thing? Always trying to at so tough when inside you're just a meek little doe, just like all the rest, looking for a strong buck to… roll in the hay with."

The waggle of his brow was enough to make her stomach lurch and she had to fight to keep it down. "Even," she started, her voice becoming sharper and more menacing with each word, "if I  _ever_  gave up my dream, the thing that's been driving me for half my life, and decided to settle down and maybe take a 'roll in the hay', you could be the last mammal on Earth and I  _still_  wouldn't do it with  _you_."

His eyes narrowed a bit more but his grin widened the same, giving his face a rather disturbing look. "You can say no all you want, Jude. But I  _will_  have you eventually. It's impossible to resist all this," he said gesturing to himself. "And even more impossible for me to resist  _this._ " His paw reached out again, this time aimed towards her chest, when he suddenly found himself in mid-air.

As soon as Matt's paw had begun reaching towards her, Judy had sidestepped to quickly catch his wrist. A small shift in her form allowed her to drape the buck's arm over her shoulder and, with a heave that she could feel along her abdominal muscles, lifted him over her back and then slammed the rabbit to the floor.

While Matt was dazed, Judy took a step forward and once more grabbed his wrist, this time wrapping her powerful legs around it to keep it stationary. The first thing the buck noticed when he snapped back was an excruciating pain in his arm and paw. The sight of a pair of gray calves along his forearm and two front paws latched onto his wrist told him that cooperation,  _any_  cooperation, would be beneficial to his long term health.

"Alright Cottons," Judy was breathing a bit heavy, normally a sign of fatigue, but in this case it was to keep herself in check so that she didn't break the dumb buck's arm. "I warned you and now you're gonna have to live with the consequences." With a sharp pull, the buck's wrist exploded in pain. Judy let go of him in time to watch him roll on the floor clutching his poor limb.

"You broke it! You broke my wrist! You stupid little-"

"Hey!" Judy's irritated shout stopped his rant cold, though a few tears still streaked down his fur. "I didn't break it, you moron. I sprained it. And if you want to be able to use it anytime soon, I'd go talk to the nurse and tell them you need a wrap bandage and some ice."

"I'll get you expelled for this!" The cry was tinged with the strain of his injury but the anger in his voice was easily discernible.

"Oh go right ahead. Bring it to the principal. In fact let's get my parents and yours involved so I can tell them that you assaulted me and I was merely defending myself." The buck steadily climbed to his feet, the pained look on his face slowly turning back into a sneer, this time one of contempt.

"That won't get you anywhere. It's my word against yours." Matt's haughty look, one trying to instill his sense of superiority to the doe who not only shot him down but beat him down as well, started to fade as Judy's grin did not.

"Actually, it's  _their_  word against yours." It was only then that the greasy rabbit noticed the halls had gone nearly silent. A stray cough could be heard here and there but their words were completely audible beyond that. Matt slowly turned his head to find the entire student body that had been in the hall when the altercation had started was still there, deathly silent and most of them glaring at the buck. "It's called juvie, sweetheart, if you don't walk away now and learn to keep your disgusting, filthy paws to yourself from now on. Boom."

* * *

"Holy hell, girl! Did you seriously just beat the crap out of Cottons by your locker?!" Almost immediately after Judy had crossed the threshold into her next period class she found herself swept up into Sharla's arm and flying across the room to their chemistry table. It would have been disorienting if it had been the first time she had been mam-handled by the sheep.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, how does this stuff travel so fast? It literally  _just_  happened two halls away and I came straight here." It never ceased to amaze her how everyone could learn about what went down in the school within mere moments. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Nick was already there, his table just down from theirs. His ears had perked up slightly while his posture allowed him to lean over a bit, getting close enough to hear the conversation.

"Bobby texted me. He was coming out of the bathroom and saw it happening." Judy looked around but didn't see the feline anywhere, his normal chair missing an occupant. "He um…he won't be in class this period." The grimace on the ewe's face was all Judy needed to know exactly what was going on.

"Fish?"

"Fish."

"Poor guy is gonna have to get over that." Ever since the incident last year the sight of fish had caused Bobby to immediately become sick. He could handle it fried and even just simply cut up, but seeing the whole fish would result in a long time near a trash can.

"Yeah but enough of that! You gotta tell me what happened! The school is buzzing more than when someone put that beehive inside the Vice Principal's desk and the sound drove him mad before he found it." The doe face-pawed.  _Of course it would. And I'm willing to bet it goes from a sprained wrist all the way to ripping his arm off and beating him with it._

"It's nothing. Matt pushed his luck and walked away in a worse shape than when he arrived."

"That's not what I heard," Sharla said with a huff. "I heard he groped your ass and started trying to move in on you. Holly Birchers said he wanted to sleep with you and he wasn't going to take no for an answer!"

Judy's sensitive hearing picked up a slight creaking sound from the table just a few feet from them. A groan of glass could be heard, one which she knew would crack and explode soon if the pressure was not removed. Taking Sharla's distraction while she reached for her book, Judy looked over at Nick whose ears were beet red. His paw was clenched do tightly around a beaker that Judy was amazed it hadn't already shattered. His glance over towards her head their eyes meeting briefly. She shook her head slightly at the vulpine, urging him to calm down. He did so, although it was very difficult to let his instincts go.

"He got a bit pawsy so I removed the problem. His wrist is only sprained so I'm assuming whatever you heard is most likely an embellishment. The hall saw it though so anymore attempts by him to touch another girl in this school without consent will get him expelled instead of a three day weekend."

Sharla whistled in appreciation. "Damn Jude. Remind me to never to grab your ass." The ewe started laughing while arranging her notebook. Beside them Judy could just make out a whisper of 'that's my bun bun' from the tod making her blush. Making sure to hide that from Sharla she turned it back on her.

"Do a lot of thinking about grabbing my ass, Sharla?" The sheep's eyes are wide very quickly.

"What? No! No I would never-" she spluttered her words out, the embarrassment clear in her voice. "I'm not like that at all!" When she saw Judy suddenly start laughing, grabbing onto the table for support to keep her standing, the black ewe's eyes narrowed. "Dammit Judy!"

She did not have time for more than a minor scolding though as the final students had filed in and their teacher had stepped through the door himself before closing it. It was the first chemistry class of the year and their previous instructor had retired. The school had said it was because he had been there so long that he wanted to pursue other things, though the rumor over the summer was that he had gotten a bit tipsy, broke into the school, and tried to use the chemistry lab to make his own moonshine. So Judy, Sharla, Nick, and the rest of the class got to have the honor of being the first ones to size up the new teacher.

'Size up' was an oddly accurate term. The mammal appeared at first glance to be a fox, however he was unlike any one they had ever seen. His ears, which were misshapen compared to Nick's black pointed ones, would have been scraped clean off of his head when going through the door if he had not bowed down. The students simply stared at what seemed to be a seven foot tall vulpine.

Nick certainly was stunned by the teacher's arrival. Never in his life had he imagined there would be one of his kind that was so massive that even a bear would appear average sized standing next to him. His mind couldn't stop coming up with theories on how it was possible until a sharp clacking sound reached his ears, making them twitch.

Several of the students had heard it as well, a good number of them leaning over slightly to try and see what was causing it. When he came around from behind the desk where he had casually placed a briefcase, the mystery of the sound was made clear, though it only caused more questions.

Sitting directly on the floor just beneath the giant vulpine were a pair of large hooves. Powerfully built, they almost seemed to have a sharpened look about them as if they were formed of melded claws. From what they could tell between the bottom of his jeans and the shocking feet, his shins and calves seemed to be a combination of sinewy canine muscles and heavily dense bones of a much larger mammal.

The surprises didn't stop there. Halfway up his body the students noted the rather strange looking tail behind him. Judy couldn't help but compare his and Nick's. While larger, the teacher's tail seemed to be more wiry, occasionally flicking here and there, Nick's was a much more plume-like appendage. His soft fur was something she craved to feel. Most of the students did based on the conversations her sisters would have.

The jaws and muzzle were certainly like that of a fox, she noted, only much larger in scale. She doubted even a full grown wolf would be able to match him and wondered if his nose was just as powerful. Finally it was the ears that she landed on. They most certainly were  _not_  the ears of a fox. Shaped more like swiveling cones, Judy recognized them immediately from her days of helping the Stallows toss their barn hay. This fox was part horse.

Sharla meanwhile was having a conflict of interest, a battle raging within her. She wasn't sure whether to cower or coo. The size of his teeth alone was setting off her instincts to flee but surprisingly she didn't feel the need to. Perhaps it was the easy-going look he had to him. Not many teachers came to school in jeans, but certainly none had ever come to school in a ratty Guns N' Rodents sweater which now lay over a chair, showing off a Fur Wars t-shirt.

"Good morning, class." His voice was deep and they had a feeling that if he wanted to, he could shout loud enough to shake the glass windows. He kept it subdued however, something the bunny students were all grateful for. "This is Chemistry and I am your teacher, Felix Stoddard."

The name seemed interesting to most of the class but Nick let out a very audible snort. Judy turned to look in horror at the vulpine, not wanting her boyfriend to get in trouble their first week. Mr. Stoddard however simply looked over at the tod, his smile never fading. "Yes Nick?"

A bit off-put by the teacher having known his name, Nick still couldn't help himself from chuckling a bit. "You-your parents named you…'lucky horse'?" It was a too much for the fox and he began laughing behind two paws he clasped over his muzzle.

Their teacher was still smiling, his shockingly intense blue eyes now twinkling behind a pair of glass resting comfortably on his nose. "I see someone has a decent understanding of languages. Yes my parents did indeed give me a name meaning 'lucky horse.' It was actually my father who decided it since my mother was asleep after I was born. Great practical joker, my dad. Lucky for him my mother was okay with it, else I think he would have been the one in the hospital."

"So are you, like, a hybrid?" The question from a brown and white speckled doe a few tables away was more of a statement since no one could possibly fail to miss the obvious signs, but the teacher took it in stride.

"I'm not  _like_  a hybrid. I  _am_ a hybrid. Mom and dad didn't really expect to have a kit. Differences were kind of big, you know?" That planted a thought in Judy's head about seeing a mixed mammal from a prey and predator couple but decided to file it away for later. "Oh and before you ask, Wilde? Mom is the horse." That effectively had the tod scowling slightly, betraying his obvious desire to voice the question and ruining his setup into making a joke about a vixen taking on a stallion.

"Alright," Mr. Stoddard clapped his paws together and rubbed them vigorously, his grin widening to show excitement. "Let's get to mixing some weird liquids!"

The class was rather unorthodox from what any of them had remembered their last few years of high school, but it was a good change. Rather than being stuck copying down notes rattled off to them by a graying mammal with a monotone voice, they instead were being taught by doing.

"Okay! Now we're going to add some acetate to our mixture. Make sure to use only a small amount." The end goal of the exercise was a lot more interesting than they had done before. The solution they were creating would be used to write their names on a thin piece of metal provided to each table. It would be strong enough to discolor the steel and leave their signatures plainly visible. 'Penmamship would not count against them' Felix had stated with a laugh. He was certainly a fun teacher, able to keep up and sometimes surpass Nick in both wit and charm, often making the jokes before Nick could.

 _Nick._  Judy had spent nearly all of the class with one eye on her project and the other on her russet furred boyfriend. She couldn't help but think back to that early morning. The feel of his arms encircling her while his muzzle had routed around in the fur of her neck. It caused goosebumps to raise on her skin and a shiver to run up her spine.

"Judy! What are you doing?!" Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill cry beside her causing Judy to yank her eyes away from Nick and instead focusing on the horrified gaze of her lab partner. "Mr. Stoddard! We have a serious problem!" Sharla had stepped well away from the table, pulling Judy by the elbow as well.

Letting her eyes fall to the table, Judy gasped in horror. She had been so distracted that instead of the milliliter she was supposed to be adding, the test tube had continued to pour until their beaker was overflowing. If it had simply been a problem of spilling the solution, it would not have caused such a concern. Instead it had strengthened it to an alarming degree.

The steel plate they were supposed to mark had already been eaten through, the center now a smoking hole, before it started moving onto the table. Already bits of it had begun melting, the metal curling downwards. It would only be a matter of minutes before the inch thick steel was Swiss cheese.

"Well, that's certainly a 'A' for effort, Miss Hopps. Though maybe next time we'll stick to the formula and not try to invent a new one, kay?" Judy hung her head while her ears burned as Mr. Stoddard moved around the classroom. "Alright everyone. We have a bit of an issue with a runaway acid so you all get a free twenty minutes! You ain't gotta go to next class but you can't stay here. Out with ya."

After shooing his students out into the hall, the fox hybrid had quickly set about stopping the damage being done to his new classroom. Outside Judy had been covering her face with her paws nonstop. Nick wanted to go and comfort her but had a feeling that exposing their relationship wouldn't be the best way to do so. Thankfully Sharla took care of it for him and helped calm the bunny down.

It took a while but eventually as the rest of the classrooms began to empty Judy began to feel a bit better. The fact that Nick had stayed nearby had certainly helped. Thankfully his reasoning for being so close to the bunny when most of the other students had wandered off was easily explained away as his next class was directly across the hall.

"Thanks Sharla." The two mammals, who had sat down at some point during Judy's breakdown, stood together and each grabbed up their backpacks, though for the sheep it was only a few books. "I can't believe I did that. I melted a damn  _table!_ "

"It's okay, Jude. You're not the only student to melt a table here. I mean I can't think of any I've ever heard of but I'm sure there was  _somebody_  at one point." Judy scoffed at her friend and rolled her eyes.

"You're not really helping here, Sharla. Oh well. I'm sure the day can't get any worse." As she was shrugging on her backpack, a large ram happened to walk by. His hoof, while innocently swinging forward with his gait, managed to snag on the edge of her bag where the seam had popped a few hours before.

Like a perfect comedy script, the seam was undone and the back half of the bag fell away. All of Judy's textbooks, pens, notebooks, and folders came spilling out and sliding all over the hall. Her cry of surprise would have brought everyone's attention to her if they had not already been looking. But the most damaging of all was her spare gym clothes that she had meant to put in her locker, tumbling out as well. And that of course was not bad enough, as her smallest textbook, the one with a ridiculously glossy cover, slid along the floor carrying a freshly cleaned pair of carrot printed panties right into the crowd to stop at Nick's feet.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers, kill me now."


	8. Murphy? Nope. Judy's law.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Man, Judy just can't win! Spend a whole day doused in nasty perfume while dealing with melting a table and now her underpants? When Karma catches up she's gonna win the lottery by this point.
> 
> Disclaimer: My kid has been watching Big Hero 6 nonstop last couple weeks. I have a new plan. I shall disguise myself in a giant inflatable vinyl suit and walk into Disney headquarters. However, if one of those old farts have a heart attack I'm probably going to be screwed since I'm supposed to be a medical robot. I know! Tasers!

"Why."  _Thud._ "Why."  _Thud._ "Why."  _Thud._

The slurp from an empty juice box was the only response the gray doe got, not that she was paying much attention to what was going on around her. She had spent her first few minutes at lunch rubbing her paws over her face or banging her head onto the table.

Sharla put a hoof out and rubbed the doe's back consolingly. "It's really not that bad, Jude." A slight scoffing sound, which was quickly muffled, made the black sheep flit her eyes towards the other end of the table. A doe with honey-colored fur and a cream stripe down her front looked embarrassed.

"Sorry," she whispered hastily. Sharla merely rolled her eyes at the bunny. She couldn't really get mad at Amelia though. She didn't believe her own words so could hardly fault Amelia for reacting like that. Turning her gaze to each of the other mammals at the table, she noted the looks of pity and concern directed towards Judy.

Amelia Bounders, a senior in their class, was at the very end of the opposite side of the table. She had suddenly become very interested in her veggie loaf, poking at it with her fork and avoiding everyone else's stares. Next to her was Maggie Forrester. The deer was a junior at the school and had made fast friends with Judy and Sharla on the track team. Recently she had befriended Sarah as well, who was sitting on Judy's other side casually reading while munching on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Directly across from Sharla was Josephine Felinna, a bobcat that had transferred to Bunnyburrow a few years before. She had been a loner until their junior year because of her dietary needs. Her body was unable to process much of anything besides meat and dairy so her lunches almost always consisted of chicken or fish, something most prey could not handle seeing. It came as quite a shock to her when a gray bunny had sat down at her table last year, but had been extremely grateful to have made a friend.

Josephine finished swallowing the mouthful of chicken burger she had been chomping on and cocked her head towards the doe, watching while her forehead made contact with the table numerous more times. "It's really not, Judy. So your underwear fell out in front of half the school. So what? Back in Zootopia that sort of thing was worth, like, five minutes of gossip. Tops."

"Yeah but this isn't Zootopia, Joe." Maggie spoke up while purposefully avoiding looking at the dead animal disappearing into the feline's maw. She loved the bobcat but she still had a lot of difficulty seeing her eat. "I mean out here a bunny's underwear landing in the hallway is not much to talk about, which is an odd enough sentence already, but having them slide right under your crush's nose?  _That's_  something for the column."

"I don't have a crush on him." The voice was muffled by the table her lips were pressed down on, but Judy's words were easily heard. Though not a single mammal at that table believed her, Sarah especially as she knew about their relationship already, none of them really wanted to push the matter. Of course that pause lasted different lengths for different mammals.

"Well," Josephine's words came out around a mouthful of chicken breast, making a few of the prey turn their heads away momentarily, "he doesn't seem to mind checking you out with the glances he keeps sending over here." At that, five heads all turned towards the other side of the room where a pair of red foxes happened to meet their gazes.

"Now Nick, ah' know you been tellin' me you ain't got a thing for miss Judy o'er there, but the way you keep lookin' at her ain't zactly sellin' it."

Distracted by the overly southern drawl of the mammal next to him, Nick set down his burger and cast a glance in his direction. The only other red fox in the school, Gideon Gray and Nick had made relatively quick friends. Although not the best of pals, the two had enough in common to hang out often, almost always sitting at the same lunch table.

"I'm worried about her, Gid. That's all." It was a partial truth, but with his and Judy's situation it was the best the other fox could hope to get out of him. "I mean it was her clothes that spilled out right in front of everyone."

"Yeah, ah' know that," the pudgy mammal said, the words slightly distorted by a mouth full of black bean casserole. "But ain't you two s'possed to be at each other's throats or sumthin? I mean rivals and all that?" Nick never could understand how the country fox's accent could make it around a mouth full of food, but Gideon seemed to be a master of it.

"I suppose. Never really much into a competition for school, but I do love the annoyed look on her face whenever I score a point or two higher in our science quizzes." That was a completely true statement from before they were a couple and even until now, the scrunched nose she directed at him being so darn cute he could barely stand it. "But that was a major embarrassment. Not something I really want to wish on anyone."

Gideon tilted his head, staring at the second tod with a look of admiration. "Well that's right good of ya, Nick. Nev'r thought you were one ta kick a mammal when they're down but you mus' really respect miss Judy to feel for her like that." It wasn't too much of a surprise to Gideon to hear Nick speak like that. Over the last year he had been treated to the red fox's generous and kind nature, though he could see Nick normally hiding it beneath an ungodly amount of charm and charisma, something Gideon was sorely lacking he knew.

"There's a rivalry, and then there's being an ass. And while I admit I am an ass a disturbing amount of times during the week, trying to use an accident like that to tear down someone is just wrong."  _Not to mention my heart tearing in two in that corridor._ How much he had wanted to reach her and comfort her had left him in agony. He hadn't cared one iota for their secrecy at that point but before he had been able to take a single step their eyes had met and Judy wordlessly had told him to stay where he was. Now, watching her thump her head onto the table, he wished he had not listened and had embraced her anyway.

"Yeah, I know that better than most." Nick cast a sympathetic glance towards his table-mate. When he had first arrived to the school and met the fox, the first impression had been one of a shy mammal, someone who had a hard time making friends with others. As it turned out, that wasn't the case at all. Almost everyone knew of Gideon and nearly all of them had nothing but positive things to say about him. Instead it had been Gideon who had been pushing others away. After talking with some of the other students and several weeks worth of coaxing the tod, Nick finally managed to get the whole story.

Years ago, when all of their classmates were celebrating eighth and ninth birthday parties, Gideon had been a bit of an outcast. His parents were farmers, much like every other family in Bunnyburrow, however they had a much rougher time on their land. Franklin Gray, Gideon's father, had taken over the farm his father had left him, just as his father did before that. It had been in their family for five generations and Frank tilled that land day in and day out, every season with his own two paws. However when Gideon had been seven, the land had finally peaked and given out. The soil was lack in nutrients and the crops became smaller and smaller if they did not outright wither and die. This obviously impacted the Gray family harshly.

Other families in the community had attempted to bolster the Grays. The Hopps had offered to allow them to farm on their unused acres that year so that theirs could replenish and be used the next season. The Lamberton's had extended half of their surplus supplies and grain until the crops had taken root, Sharla's parents unable to even consider letting a family go hungry. Frank Gray though was a stubborn mammal. His pride over his family's farm was being attacked in his mind and he turned down all offers, redoubling his efforts into planting, determined to make the land grow again.

The resultant failures led to a much more aggravated and frustrated fox than anyone had remembered in their lifetimes. He became so obsessed over it that he pulled Gideon from school to make him work the fields too. Barbara, Gideon's mother, attempted to intervene but her words fell on deaf ears. For nearly a year, Gideon had been out of school, falling behind his fellow classmates and becoming angry over his father's mistreatment. He had never harmed his son or his wife, but Frank Gray's emotional outbursts had affected Gideon in a bad way.

Unable to get out his feelings at home, Gideon had taken to wandering the town, getting into trouble. He pulled his best friend Travis, the only one he had left at the time, into his misbehaviors with him. They became the town bullies, often insulting other mammals they walked by. It only got worse as time went on, since his situation at home had not changed. His actions escalated until one fateful morning at the Carrots Day festival he finally had gone too far.

After heckling Judy, the star of the play, over wanting to be a cop, he had become angered when she turned the tables on him getting the audience to chuckle at his expense. He immediately had sought out a group of kits to intimidate and bully and set his sights on Sharla, her brother Gareth, and a few of Judy's younger siblings. He didn't really care what he did to them, only that he made them feel more miserable than he did. The tickets were an easy target and he snatched them away greedily. He had no idea what to do with them, but as long as they were upset he would be happy. Until a young doe stood up to him. Until he had pushed her down and watched her nose wiggling in fear. Until she had lifted both hindpaws and made his nose bleed in retaliation. And then what happened next changed everything.

The sight of his claws being shown to the bunny, the feel of a growl in his throat and his teeth being bared, stopped him dead. His own eyes began to tear up as he looked down at the poor doe laying in the dirt. What he had been about to do disgusted him and everything he had been doing before hit him like a ton of bricks. "I'm sorry," he had rasped through his sobs. "I am so sorry." He had fled after that, leaving behind all of the cries out to him from the other children. When he had finally managed to get home, he had rushed upstairs while ignoring the looks his parents sent him, and locked himself in his room, sobbing into his blankets.

It took several hours but eventually he had calmed down enough to let his mother in and tell her what had happened. That night, after Gideon had fallen asleep, Barbara confronted her husband and laid into him, impressing upon him how his obsession was hurting his son. Frank, mortified at having heard the story and realizing how his actions were affecting his son, spent the next week trying to mend bridges in the town, taking up every offer for help that he could get. Gideon had shown up back to school the week after. It had been rough at first, nearly every kit fearing the red fox, but over time that fear turned to acceptance and eventually friendliness. Nick learned it wasn't the others forcing Gideon out, it was Gideon pushing others away in fear of hurting anyone again.

Several months of Nick's supportive prodding had resulted in the shy fox finally venturing out into the social pool of the high school. Surprise to describe his reaction to the positive response would be a gross understatement. The dim light in the fox's blue eyes had lit like flame and he became more lively almost overnight. Of course by opening himself up he inadvertently revealed something to Nick. The tiny glances he now sent across the room with his eyes filled with longing told Nick everything. Gideon Gray was in love with a sheep.

The fact that both of the mammals were in love with each other but were too shy to admit it was something he and Judy often talked about. While Nick wanted to remain neutral and let them figure it out in their own time, Judy had convinced him that a few prods here and there would maybe help them connect. Judy was getting frustrated with her best friend since the sheep had confided in her she had a crush on the tod since eighth grade and had yet to make a move. So the two began actively trying to guide them toward each other, hoping they would connect the dots.

"Oh jeez. They're lookin' over here, Nick." Thinking that maybe Judy or Sarah was glancing their way, Nick casually turned his attention back towards the girls table to find five pairs of eyes all on him. The only one that mattered however was the brilliant violet ones he met with his own. A spark went between them as the moment seemed to last forever. It took a serious mental shake for him to pull his gaze away and flick to every other female at the table, flashing his signature smile their way and letting the charm work it's magic, disarming their scrutiny and leaving the table in a fit of giggles.

"Them girls all seem to like ya, Nick." There was a slight touch of jealousy in the larger tod's voice but Nick knew it was because he thought Sharla was looking at Nick.

"Maybe. But I'm pretty sure Sharla was checking you out, Gid." Gideon scoffed but Nick could see some deeper red spreading inside of his ears as the country fox suddenly became very interested in the ingredients listed on the side of his juice bottle.

* * *

Judy's mood lasted well through third period, affecting her ability to pay attention to the teacher up at the front of the board. With any other subject it would not normally be a problem to miss some notes and a lesson since she could easily review the material and learn it on her own. However this was not one of those classes.

"Senorita Hopps. ¿Hay algo tan importante en tu cuaderno que sientes la necesidad de no prestar atención a esta lección o deberías mirar la pizarra antes de que te pida que te vayas?"

Her ears burning, Judy raised her head and responded slowly, careful to get the right pronunciations. "Lo siento, Senora Bouncé. Ha sido una mañana... interesante, pero estoy aquí ahora. Por favor, continúe." The adult rabbit at the head of the classroom sent her a final harsh look, a raised brow adding to her piercing gaze before the white bunny turned back to the board.

It was hard not to feel a bit intimidated by the Spanish teacher. She had been there for a few years having transferred from Deerbrooke though the reason wasn't made public. One of the more popular rumors was that she had gotten into an altercation with a student who made a sexual remark at her and the teenage buck had ended up shoved inside a locker meant for a mouse. Whatever the reason, no one dared backtalk the doe.

Judy cursed under her breath as the bell rang signaling the end of class. It wasn't that she didn't want to get out of there, more the understanding of just  _how much_  of the class she had missed by not paying attention. She would need a lot of extra study time devoted to her Spanish in order to not fail the next test, something she  _also_  had not been paying attention enough to hear the date.

Stumbling out of the room, a bit unsteady on her feet due to getting up so fast, Judy made it to the hallway wondering how on Earth she was going to survive fourth period. Based on her current luck track record, she would most likely end up buried under a collapsing library shelf or trip and fall down four flights of stairs, a significant feat considering the school only had two stories.

 _I need to just get through history. That's all. A little over an hour left in the day and then I can hightail it home and spend the next several days dying of embarrassment._ Fortunately, or unfortunately according to her heart, the tod would be missing from that class. However since she knew that she and Sharla had arranged their schedules to always be in the same classes, Judy expected a lot of questions being sent her way.

With history being located on the second floor she was not at all surprised to see her sheep friend already seated in the back row, her teeth on full display while waving dramatically. With a small grimace, Judy made her way along the rows of students slowly filling up the seats. Several glances were sent her way, which she couldn't help but notice. Some of them seemed more amused than anything and a pair of bunny does in the front row stared at her before having a very fast and hushed conversation. Judy couldn't catch the words but the occasional titter had her eyes narrowing as she passed. It was certainly not in a good mood that she slid into the chair beside the black ewe.

"Oh my god, Judy. You're never going to guess what happened in music." It was one of the few subjects the two friends were not together for. Sharla had always been rather musical, playing several instruments by the time she was fourteen. Judy's music career on the other hand peaked in third grade after the recorder incident during their Spring concert. She decided instead to focus on learning another language since it might be needed as a police officer in the city.

"I'll go with Wilde showing off with his infamous spinning drum sticks again for four hundred, Alex." While impressive as the feat actually was, Judy failed to swoon as most of the other girls, and some of the guys, did at the sight of it. The year before anyways.

"No- well yeah, he totally did that," Judy rolled her eyes at the predictably of the fox, "but that's not what I was going to say." Judy busied herself with pulling out her notes and text book while waiting for the sheep to reach critical. Sure enough after about only ten seconds of getting no response, Sharla huffed irritably and rapidly tapped her hoof against the desk. "Cynthia Longear, the white jackrabbit that claims to be an albino even though everyone knows her mom had an affair with a snowshoe hare? Yeah she was trying to get with Nick,  _bad_. Like practically humping his leg with how much she was laying on the flirt."

A strong twinge of jealously flared within the bunny, requiring nearly all of her not-insignificant will to not outwardly show her irritation and anger.  _Cynthia Longear? That slut is trying to move in on MY fox?!_ She wanted to scold herself for thinking of Cynthia as a 'slut' but considering she had tried to get with half of the senior class, succeeding with an ungodly amount of them, it seemed a fair word to use. "Yeah? How did that go for her?"

"Oh she got shut down  _hard._ " Sharla's joy at that was evident by the large smile on her lips. To say the sheep and jackrabbit had never really gotten along would be an understatement and both seemed to take great pleasure in the other getting upset or hurt. Judy for her part was suddenly feeling much happier at her words. She never doubted Nick's love for her but just hearing him refusing another female's advances certainly improved her attitude for the day.

"Really? She usually doesn't encounter much failure with the males. Wilde must not be into fluffy bunnies I guess." It was probably one of the most blatant lies she had ever said in her life considering how much Nick really enjoyed her fluffy bunny body, especially her short tail which he called 'a tear-shaped puff of heaven.'

"Oh I doubt that considering the occasional glances he used to send all the does last year. Although lately it's just been you," she teased with a wink, this time eliciting a small blush along Judy's ears which she was thankful to have lowered along her back. "But no, she walked up and was laying it on pretty thick. Swaying her hips, 'casually'  _stretching_  to puff out her chest, you know, her usual schtick. Kept finding an excuse to brush his arm with her paw or giggle at whatever he said, funny or not. We all just kept watching him sitting there with a face of stone, barely giving her any attention. God, watching her crash and burn like that was better than that time we snuck a drink of shine during that family get together." Judy grimaced hard at that. Where Sharla had rather enjoyed the tipsy feeling she had gotten, Judy made a mistake on gauging the amount she could handle and had spent the next morning being sick. "But the kicker was him talking about how his ideal female would be full of confidence in who they were and not need to coat themselves in makeup to try and impress anything with a dick and a pulse. I have never seen a rabbit be so embarrassed and so mad at the same time. I swear she was purple!"

History class suddenly didn't seem quite so bad.

Despite everything that had arisen through the day, Judy was in much better spirits walking out of the school than she had imagined she would be. With all of the public embarrassment, plus melting a table in the chemistry lab, the fact that she could keep her head up, let alone allow a smile to grace her lips, was a miracle. Yet there she was, eyes bright and shining with renewed hope that maybe not every day would follow such an awful pattern.

Of course the end of the day had been it's only redeeming feature after that first bell had rang, but hearing about how someone hitting on her boyfriend had gotten shut down and shut down  _hard_  filled her with a lot of glee. Part of her felt bad about getting so much enjoyment out of it, especially as theirs was a secret relationship and those mammals who encroached on either of them weren't doing so maliciously. Of course matters of the heart don't truly work that way.

Instead she spent the first mile home practically skipping, her headphones in and her iPod blaring out pop music. A lot of her siblings were sending the doe confused looks, her cheeriness stupefying them considering the events they had heard about during the day. Judy, if she noticed at all, paid them no attention and continued being upbeat the rest of the way.

 _So my underwear fell out into the hall. Not the first time that's ever happened,_ she thought while hopping joyfully, punching her paws into the air.  _And I'm certainly not upset by Nick seeing them, especially after last night._ A few of her sisters walking behind her snickered at Judy's 'punch hop' they liked to call it. Judy knew she wasn't the best dancer but she enjoyed it all the same.  _And I'm betting ninety percent of the does in the school have carrot print so there's really nothing to be upset about!_

Now that she was out of class and left in her own little world, the events before lunch seemed rather small. She was actually far more concerned with how she had handled the grabby paws of the despicable buck earlier that morning. She was still within her right to defend herself however she needed to, but even with the school rules on her side she still worried it might be seen as excessive, something that could harm her eventual acceptance into the police academy. She doubted the rabbit would be that dumb though. He had a severe amount to lose by taking it to the principle.

The rest of the afternoon was spent mainly on trying to catch up on Spanish. It was not one of her better subjects so extra effort was already called for. Add in one full distracted class and she was close to thumping her head on the desk in frustration. She had spent so much time in fact that she had missed the call for dinner and only realized how focused she had become when her elbow brushed a plate her mother had brought her, that night's supper of vegetable medley and rice having cooled off a little by the time she finally noticed it.

It seemed that high-schoolers everywhere had the same issue when it came to homework and food. Normally during the day, sans assignments to get done, a teenager was often starving twenty-four hours a day. When dealing with a large amount of work or trying to catch up on late papers however, the stress made their bodies want to retch at even the smell of something to eat. Judy had just been reaching that border, her stomach starting to curl into knots, when the vegetables made her nose wiggle. Suddenly realizing how hungry she was, Judy devoured her dinner in mere minutes. Cold rice and luke warm carrots were not ideal, but with as quick as they went she barely noticed the taste, let alone the temperature.

Setting the plate back by the door for when she next went to the kitchen, Judy settled herself back at the desk. She was still having difficulty with her conjugations, which was frustrating since it was something most students mastered in their first year and she was now on her second. Turning a page in her notebook, she quickly thumbed through the text to the chapter dealing with conjugations and began scribbling down the offered tips.

She wasn't sure at what point she had fallen asleep but the light outside her window had been completely extinguished. Only the dim bulb from the tabletop lamp allowed her to see around her bedroom. Noting the empty dish next to the door, she guessed that her family had left her alone to her studies. Her mother certainly had not come in. The matron of the house always made sure that any kits found asleep outside of their bed would be there when they woke up, though once they got older she simply woke them up and shooed them to their rooms.

At first she wasn't sure if she simply had woken up on her own or if maybe one of her siblings had been too loud stomping past. While wiping a liberal amount of drool off her cheek though, she caught tiniest of sounds coming from her right.

Following her ears, Judy turned her gaze to the window. The sight of sharp claws lightly tapping against the glass matched the mysterious noise she imagined had brought her out of her slumber. Quickly dashing to her door, Judy turned the lock as silently as she could before practically leaping across the room. The latch keeping the window pane shut was undone so fast one would think there had never been a latch to begin with. Shoving it open wide, the gray doe was greeted by the teeth bearing smile of Nicholas Wilde.

" _Nick,_ " Judy hissed through her teeth, "what are you  _doing_  here? I thought we were going to meet up where we normally do." Looking over at the clock, Judy saw it was only ten, two hours earlier than their normal rendezvous time. She hadn't missed it so him being there was interesting to say the least.

"I came to see you." The tod deftly climbed in through the opening and pulled the glass pane shut behind him. "I know you can be a dumb bunny, Carrots, but jeez." Chuckling softly, even through the light punch the bunny gave his shoulder, Nick wrapped her up in his arms.

Judy had a hard time staying mad at his 'dumb bunny' comment with his warm body pressed up against hers. Snuggling into his embrace Judy burrowed her nose into his neck, breathing in the scent she had been enveloped in that morning. It was so comforting to her after everything that had gone on that day, his musk causing her mind to let all of it slip away. All of it except for how they woke up that morning.

"Oh boiled carrots! Nick-…Nick stop laughing," she smacked the fox while he clamped a paw on his muzzle to keep his guffaws under control. He usually had a difficult time not finding her curses amusing. "We're going to have the same problem we did today! My room is going to be swamped in your scent and I'm out of horrible perfume to douse myself with."

Nick smirked and held up a paw, one digit raised telling her to wait. His other paw disappeared behind his back for a moment before bringing out a small plastic bag. Judy's eyes widened slightly. Taking a couple of steps forward she looked around his back. Not seeing any pockets in his pants and noticing they were very tight against his waist, she was left completely dumbfounded. "Where were you hiding that?"

"Fox trademark secret, Carrots. But that's not important right now." Sliding his paw into the bag, he produced a small nondescript box. "Take a look," he said tossing it towards the doe. Though it had been a small box in his sized paw, to her she needed both to catch it. Quickly flipping it around, she read the front out loud.

"Musk Mask. Industrial strength." Tilting her head, she glanced back up at the tod. "Industrial strength? What's that?"

"Mainly it's for construction laborers or factory workers that sweat a ton or work up their scents to an insane degree. It's not something you can find in a pharmacy or anything. It's only sold to companies by the thousands 'cause of how expensive it would be by itself."

Judy arched a brow. "Oh? And how did you manage to get a hold of something like this?" Nick tried to keep a simple smug look, but a genuine smile slipped slightly through the mask.

"I have a few contacts from odd jobs in the city. Had a couple of these left over from a construction project I managed to sneak onto when I was fourteen." He shook his head fondly. "Hard work but the pay for the job was excellent, especially when you don't truly understand money."

"I see." Although she found it concerning a fourteen year old kit could find themselves so easily on a dangerous job site, Judy couldn't help but admire his work ethic. "And this applies…how?"

"Well Fluff, that's the good part. You see this stuff doesn't just  _mask_  scents like the others do. This one  _destroys_  them. One spray of this and you wouldn't be able to tell anyone had ever lived in this room."

It took a second for Judy's brain to process that.  _That sounds incredible. No wonder it would be so expensive. One pass over feet wraps and sweaty bunny toes would be no more. Probably would erase Nick's musk from…my…._ Her eyes widened while her head snapped upward, finding and locking eyes with Nick. His smile broadened and he nodded his head, pleased her train of thought led her to the same place he was. The fox shuffled sideways in front of her bed and sat down. Taking a half-lean position, he looked at the now blushing doe with his eyes half-lidded.

"So. Want to make this our new meeting place?"

No word was uttered in response. Simply a sashay of hips and a flick of a tail before two mammals were curled up around each other on a much-too small bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: Oh no! I have no more banked chapters! That means I gotta write like a madman.


	9. Better than expected. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know what you're all thinking. Did it work? Are they safe? Were the castaways in LOST really dead all along? Well, that last one will never be truly answered but let's admit it, we all stopped paying attention by the time they entered the hatch anyways.
> 
> Disclaimer: So I had to have a biopsy of my brain done (don't ask I have no idea why. I came in because of an eczema flair-up) and they found 5 tiny people inside. I remembered there was a movie like this but all of mine look like Lewis Black...

_"Judy…"_

"Judy."

" _Judy, come back to bed."_

"Judy, you there?"

_"It's way too cold to be missing my cuddle bunny."_

"JUDY!"

The sharp whisper in her ear caused the doe's two black-tipped appendages to shoot straight up. Eyes wide, she glanced around wildly, the images of a half-naked fox laying beneath her sheets fading from her mind to reveal a partly amused, partly worried black sheep.

"Gurl, you better get up there." Blinking , Judy tipped her head in confusion.  _Up where?_  she thought. "Mrs. Woolers called you to the board! She's said your name three times!"

Judy gave a start. Being called to the front was only done to those who were in danger of failing or not paying attention in class. With how vivid her daydream had been she knew it was most likely her vacant stare that had tipped off the old ewe.

It had not been so much of imagination as it was thinking about the night before. Nick had been right about the musk mask. It had erased all traces of him even being there after he had left early in order to get home before his parents woke up. The loss of her fox and even his scent had left her a little disheartened, but she had eventually been able to get a bit more sleep before her alarm clock managed to ruin her rest.

 _At least I was looking forward. If I had been staring at Nick while having daydreams of him, there's no way Sharla wouldn't notice it._  A horrifying thought suddenly occurred to her and she glanced down to scan her desk.  _Oh thank god. No drool._

Now with those two fears out of the way, the bunny doe lifted her head to meet the gaze of the grizzled teacher at the head of the class. Or at least attempted to. The old mammal's eyes weren't exactly focused on her but they were pointed in the general enough direction. Drawing in a deep breath, Judy stood and moved out of her chair.

"Good luck, Carrots." The lilting tone from beside her made Judy falter for a step before regaining her composure. While to others the words may have seemed like a slight taunt, she knew they were ones of comfort and support as only the red fox next to her could provide. She wanted so much to turn to him and acknowledge his words with a smile but after the daydream she had just been having she decided keeping her eyes straight ahead would be far safer if they wanted to still keep their relationship under wraps.

Halfway to the board Judy took her eyes off the old ewe and switched them to the board in front of her. It set her back for a few moments, mentally rocking her on her heels. She had apparently missed most of the class while locked inside her own mind since the equation was using at least two formulas they had not learned as of last class.

Her heart pounded away in her chest as she studied the board. The numbers, while simple in nature, seemed to twist in her mind and make the room spin. She wasn't sure if it was her nerves at having to approach the front especially considering everyone would know why she was the one being called out, or it was the idea of messing up in front of not just her friends, but her boyfriend and still assumed 'rival' as well. Only when she had forced herself to close her eyes and take several deep breaths did she begin to calm. Letting the thoughts of that morning sweep over her, filling her with a serene feeling. Upon opening her eyes and once again surveying the board, the equation did not seem as fear-inducing as she had originally thought.

**'Multiply (3x - 9)(3x - 2)'**

_Wait I can do this,_ went through her mind immediately. _This is just like the practice work I did while reading ahead. Who takes school too seriously now, Sharla? Ha!_ The triumph lasted for a moment before the realization of what she had just thought settled in.  _Oh great. Way to prove her point, Judy. Ugh._

Working through the equation helped to clear her mind of the few lingering memories, and maybe a few more  _embellishments_ she had let her imagination concoct. Having to quickly analyze the numbers, especially since she hadn't been paying attention in the first place, forced her logical side to shine. Raising the whiteboard marker, Judy made quick work of the problem.

**9x** **2** **\- 33x + 18**

Taking a step back, she nodded to herself.  _That should do it._ "Hmph." The disapproving sound caught her attention.  _Or maybe not._  Turning to see her teacher sending a rather stern look her way, Judy wilted a little. "Well, at least you understand the material." Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Judy gave the ewe a quick smile and made to head back to her seat. "But from now on I expect you to be paying attention in this class. Do I make myself clear, Miss Hopps?"

"Perfectly, ma'am." Thoroughly chastised, the blushing bunny shuffled hurriedly to the back row where an amused Sharla was waiting for her.

"Well I don't know how you did it, but your crazy ass head saved you again. I woulda been petrified, Jude! I don't even know the answer to this one and I actually  _was_ paying attention!" Judy couldn't help but smile a bit at the praise. Though she was used to it from the majority of her peers, when Sharla said it it seemed a lot more genuine which always gave her a warm feeling.

"Ditto from me, Carrots." The sultry voice next to her was as honey being poured into her ears. The sweetness in the comment tinged with a hint of envy caused her heart to flutter wildly. Glancing to the right, the doe could just make out the grinning maw of her vulpine neighbor. "You are insanely fast at figuring out math problems. Almost able to keep up with me, you dumb bunny."

The smirk on his lips and the taunt from his tongue was pleasant to witness, but it would not be left unanswered. "Well, you know what they say about us ' _dumb'_ bunnies. We  _are_  good at multiplying." A second later when Nick's surprised expression became one of undeniable glee, Judy realized what she had said and the innuendo behind. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers. Did I just say that?"

"Uh, yeah! You did!" The doe turned to the left to see her friend nearly beside herself with giddiness, holding her sides as she laughed.  _Oh crap. And I said **that**  out loud, too? _Judy had a feeling there was no way for her to win in this situation and decided to simply hide her face in her arms.

The rest of the school day went very well which surprised the young couple. After the events of that morning's math class, Judy was certain she would be facing another several class periods of embarrassment and smug looks from her best friend trying to draw out some sort of confession about her feelings toward the tod.

Lunch had been something she was dreading. She was certain she would hear whispered conversations about the day before and how her underwear had ended up sliding in front of the hall full of students, but when nothing came during her classes she figured that it would end up being a popular topic at lunch. However nothing happened there either, or at least if it did then it never reached her ear. Instead she had enjoyed a relatively drama free meal with her friends who were all gossiping about relationships other than her own which was a welcome change for once.

"I'm telling you there is something going on between Mr. Stoddard and Ms. Bouncé!" Amelia practically shouted across the table. Josephine shook her head while the rest of the girls looked on. The two had been going back and forth on the argument since they had sat down and neither seemed to want to admit defeat.

"He's seven feet tall and she's an average sized rabbit. Even if the  _rest_  of his lower half wasn't horse-like," several of the girls blushed at that insinuation, Sharla's even coming through her dark wool strongly, "there's no way they'd fit together."

"Relationships aren't all about sex." The soft voice from Maggie down the far end of the table was the first common she had made on the subject. Jo however simply rolled her eyes at the young deer.

"It may not be  _all_  about it, Mags, but sex is definitely important." That was the one thing both Amelia and the feline agreed upon, though they each had different viewpoints on it.

"Twenty bucks says they are already a couple or they will be soon."

"You're on," Jo immediately countered. "Easiest money I ever made."

"Well it looks like you'll find out here very soon. Look." All six girls spun in their seats to see their white rabbit Spanish teacher heading along the far edge of the cafeteria. Her eyes were focused on the book in her paws and she wasn't one hundred percent focus don where she was going. From the other direction a ridiculously tall fox with hind paws ending in hooves clopped along while looking at his cellphone.

Judy and the rest of the table blanched at what they feared would be a trample of their new teacher beneath the hybrid's large, sharp hooves. Thankfully that didn't come to pass as the bunny's ears perked up at the sound of much larger feet than her own headed in her direction.

"Excuse me!" she said sternly to the other mammal who quickly slipped his phone into his pocket while looking around for the source of the voice.

"Oh! Ms. Bouncé. I didn't see you there," he said while adjusting his glasses. She scoffed in return which made Jo's smile grow wider. She rubbed two digits together towards Amelia telling her it was time to pay up. Amelia just smiled and pointed back at the pair.

"Maybe if you weren't always looking at your phone you'd notice a few things." Reaching into her purse she discretely handed him a large black wallet that he quickly snagged and slipped into his pocket. "That was in the backseat."

Now it was Amelia who looked like the bunny got the carrot.

"Been looking for that." Seeing him bend down to the other mammal was almost comical considering he was well over three times her height. "I was thinking maybe tonight we could go to Otters on the River? I hear they just got in a fresh batch of seaweed from the city."

"That sounds nice. But afterward we're going back to your place. I am  _not_  doing it in the car again." The two smiled smugly at each other before heading on their way, though they did not exchange any signs of affection since it was against school policy. They had kept their conversation quiet enough to avoid being noticed, but unfortunately for them a few had been focused more than the rest and now had quite a few questions burning. However Amelia had only one.

"So…" the bunny said while slurping up the last of her carrot juice. "When you gonna settle up, Jo?"

* * *

When the day had finally ended, the gray doe had made her way to the track. With tryouts next week she needed to be in peak shape. There was something that was nagging at her though in regards to her routine run. Something she was forgetting that she just knew was important. It wasn't until she had headed down to the field that the hidden memory was revealed.

Nearly forty mammals of all species were gathered in the center of the field that was inside the running track. Multiple nets were assembled while dozens of soccer balls were being kicked and juggled across the grass. Through it all she could just make out orange fur and black tipped ears in the middle. Nick's height usually allowed her to spot him in crowds given his size.

"Oh carrot sticks!" she swore, getting a few looks from other rabbits nearby. Judy was well known for swearing in a childish manner, using words and phrases that kits were taught in order to express themselves without employing expletives. She never really cared however. Her parents had adopted it because of how long they had been forcing themselves to use the words with all of their children and Judy had just latched onto that.

"I know. Running is gonna suck on the track." Looking over other side, the doe was surprised that Sharla had managed to practically sneak up on her. She supposed that being so deep in thought had affected her concentration. "Wish I woulda remembered about the soccer tryouts. I would have used the school gym's treadmills before they locked the door."

Staying silent, Judy just nodded in agreement though her mood was not so much to do with her running then it was the tryouts. Even though Nick had told her she didn't need to bother watching she had promised she would be there to support him, though she would be using her several brothers trying out to hide her interest in the fox. Now however she was going to be using the secondary track through the woods because Sharla would suggest it and refusing might arouse her suspicions even more.

"Want to go through the woods?" her friend asked, the black ewe stretching out her legs. Judy mirrored the action, flexing her large feet to loosen them up before the long run. Shrugging in acceptance, Judy followed the sheep at a steady pace, not wanting to push herself too far and too fast.

Soon though the invigorating feeling she normally would experience when on a run with the wind across her fur and the dirt beneath her paws started to fade. She was finding herself thinking more and more about Nick and how she had promised she would be there. She ended up being so distracted that when her foot next landed, a sharp pain shot up her leg.

"Gah!" Her cry alerted the ewe just in front of her, causing Sharla to turn in time to see Judy stumble to the ground.

"Oh god, Jude!" Pulling to a halt, the wooly mammal reversed course and ran back to her friend. "What happened? Are you alright?" Grasping the small paw in her larger hoof, Sharla heaved the doe back onto her feet only for Judy to wince and let out a small gasp before hopping on her one working foot to a downed log.

"Hole in the trail, I think. Didn't see it," she said while bending down to rub the pulsing part of her ankle. It would be tender for a few days she knew but she gathered she could rejoin her friend in at least an easy jog her next time around.

Unknown to her, Sharla was using the time Judy was spending on checking her ankle to scrutinize the gray bunny. The past few days Sharla had been getting more and more suspicious of her friend's behavior. The lapses in concentration like that morning's math class, or the chemistry table the day before. There were certainly some strange new aspects to her friend that seemed to start at the beginning of the school year, though she wasn't sure she could place a hoof on the reason. She did however have a theory and she decided she needed to voice it.

"Judy? Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, Shar. I'll be fine. I've had worse sprains than this. We can probably st-"

"No, hon," she interrupted, catching the doe off guard. "I mean are you feeling okay lately? Is everything alright?" Seeing the confused glance Judy was giving her, Sharla quickly clarified. "I'm just worried about you. You've been distracted a  _lot_  the past week or two and I know me and the girls have been teasing you but I think it's time I brought this up and into the open."

"W-What do you mean?" Judy stammered. She felt her heart quickening it's pace at the idea that her and Nick's secret relationship may no longer remain a secret. She loved Sharla but she would't be able to keep it to herself. She braced for the impact her life was about to take.

"We both know it, Jude. So I'm just gonna go ahead and say it."  _Oh no, here it comes,_ Judy thought while wincing internally. "You're worried about the academy, aren't you?"

Judy's surprise was so great that her jaw physically dropped, the confusion only allowing her to let out a strangled "Huh?" in response.

"Look I get it. Senior year," Sharla started while beginning to pace back and forth, "expectations are rising. I know you are super worried about your grades and if you will be able to convince them to let you sign on. I mean the first bunny! It's going to be amazing! But it makes sense you'd be worried about all of it."

Judy was still feeling slightly confused but as she regained her composure she realized that this may be her best opportunity to throw Sharla off the trail of breadcrumbs she was trying not to leave behind. "You're right," she sighed heavily. And the sheep  _was_  right. She  _was_  worried about managing to get into the academy, but it was not her primary worry those days so she would let her friend have the small victory in exchange for remaining dark on the big one. "There's never been a bunny cop. I don't think one has ever even applied. Heck, the Sheriff and deputy here is done by voting in and I don't think any of the bunnies ever elected have ever taken a training course. It's just…crazy, you know? To think I have been training my whole life for something that may never happen."

With each sentence the words became easier to voice, to put thoughts behind that were all too real.  _Maybe I have been more worried about that than I thought._ Deciding that it may be a good idea to talk to the school counselor about those concerns another day, she turned back to the matter at paw, mainly her friend watching out for her which she found really sweet.

"I understand. But Jude, you gotta be more careful, okay? Leave the future to the future because if you keep letting yourself get distracted then your classwork is gonna suffer like it almost did in math and you may not end up with just a sprain the next time we're out here," she nodded to the bunny's hurt ankle.

"Yeah. Hey, why don't you keep going? I should be able to jog with ya next lap around if you're up for another one," Judy said, not wanting to keep the sheep tied up next to her any longer. Sharla shook her head at the far too determined bunny who had been her best friend for nearly their entire lives.

"Okay. But only if you  _rest_  while I'm gone. I won't be the one to explain to coach why you couldn't handle a easy gimme victory against Podunk next week." She gave her friend a mock salute and hit the trail once more. Judy chuckled while still sitting, rubbing her foot deeper into the muscle. It really wasn't hurting as bad as she thought it would, the pain already dulling enough for her to most likely walk.

Standing, Judy took a few steps to test her balance and how much pressure she could actually support. What she found was quite favorable, almost suffering zero ill effects besides a minor spasm when she would limp. It was more tender than anything else.

Happy with that, she gave serious thought to another special activity she had been missing and decided that she probably had enough time to go take care of that before getting back to the log before Sharla was ready for a second lap.

It took only a couple of minutes to walk back to the edge of the wood, but by now the younger students had gone through the freshman and sophomore tryouts and that was where her brothers had been. For her to go and watch the soccer players now would seem suspicious since everyone knew she was rigorously training for track, and with her family no longer there, she would  _have_ to be there for someone. Not to mention she had a feeling there would be no way for her to keep a giddy smile off her face while watching her fox play.

And after looking through the trees near the edge of the track and soccer field, she knew she had made the right decision. If anyone had been running by, they would have seen an overly excited bunny hopping and quietly squealing with joy anytime a certain red fox would land a particularly difficult shot.

Just watching the way his ruffled fur moved in the wind and his tail wagging with glee had the doe practically cooing. She wanted so badly to rush out onto the field and hug him, maybe even give him a celebration kiss.  _I can't believe this is really me,_  she mused.  _'Judy the Dude' head over tail for a boy. No one would believe it in a million years even_ ** _with_** _all of the rumors about us. Heh, if my sisters could see 'The Prude' right now._

But unbeknownst to her, a mammal  _could_  see the bunny. A mammal that had decided to turn back around to make sure her friend was okay rather than risk leaving her alone for the next twenty minutes. A dark-wooled sheep that had crept up right behind the doe. "Ahem."

Two long ears shot straight up.  _Oh crap._


	10. When parents meddle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: With so much fluff, you almost forget that high school isn't just about public embarrassment and snogging behind the bleachers. It also has drama. Lots of drama.
> 
> Disclaimer: Toy Story Land is coming to Disney theme parks. You know what that means. Yes! New potential disguises to sneak into the vault to steal the rights to Zootopia. I think I'll start with...Potato Head.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit._

At any other time Judy would have felt a bit of a thrill in swearing much like Sharla had always pushed her to do, even if it was only in her mind. Right then however nothing was further from her mind, because that very same mammal was standing right behind her.

Judy could almost imagine the scene unfolding. Sharla would be standing there with her hoof on her hip with that cocked to one side. A judging yet somewhat amused look on her face with a supremely confident smile. Her other hoof would be busy playing with a clump of wool below her ear.

Swallowing hard, the rabbit doe slowly turned while straightening her body tall. Seeing her friend standing there, she was astounded how close she had been in predicting her stance, only her second hoof tweaking her ear lobe instead of the wool next to it. Though after years of close friendship and learning the ewe's behavior it made sense.

"So. Jude," Sharla started, a smug smile threatening to overwhelm her cheeks, "what were you looking at and getting all excited for?"

"Ex-excited? Me? Ha! Tha-…that's a good one." The expression she was getting told her that Sharla in no way was going to believe her and would never drop the subject if not told. And while Judy  _did_  want to let her best friend in, this wasn't the exact time she was thinking.

"You 'whooped', Jude. You never 'whoop.' Actually," she said while rubbing her chin, "I really don't think you ever  _have,_ to be honest." Seeing the blush and downcast eyes of her best friend, Sharla moved over to the brush where Judy was currently standing and where she had just recently been scrunched down. "Guess I'll just have to look for myself."

Crouching down, the ewe pushed aside some branches and gazed out over the field. There was a smaller group of players on the field than when they had first started running, However a tall and lean red fox was still practicing. Sharla was about to gloat about finally finding something to hold over her friend in regards to her theory about the two of them and Judy's sense of embarrassment certainly seemed to say a lot, when something on the field dragged her eye back.

"Oh wow. Jude, don't you think that's maybe going a bit far?" Judy raised her head, a lot more confused than concerned at that point. "I mean he didn't give you any crap about the underwear issue." Now the doe was curious.

Walking back over and leaning down to peer past the branches, she saw Nick picking himself up off the ground, grass stains coating his back. "He must be really off his game today," Sharla remarked. "Poor guy just completely missed a stationary kick and laid himself out. I can't believe you're celebrating him doing so bad today."

Completely and utterly dumbfounded, Judy stared at the back of her friend's wooly head.  _There is no way we are_ ** _that_** _lucky._ Apparently though with the disapproving look Sharla was giving her it  _was_  possible.

Now however she was torn. She wanted to keep her relationship with Nick still to herself, yet she really did not want her best friend thinking she was so vindictive. She also was tired of lying to her. She decided the truth had to be known otherwise she was going to drive herself mad with trying to keep it all under wraps.

"Sharla, I-"

"I mean I know you two have been going at it for like a  _year_ , but don't you think this jealously thing needs to end? You both are awesome at so many things. So what if he shows you up on occasion?"

With her jaw threatening to drop like a stone, Judy stared hard at the back of her friend's head as she looked back over the field.  _Suddenly I'm not feeling all that guilty anymore. In fact…_

"Okay fine. I'll admit he's  _somewhat_  good looking. And he certainly has brains." Seeing Sharla's shocked yet gleeful expression as she turned around made Judy feel slightly evil for what was coming next.

"So are you say-"

"And that's why it's so fulfilling to watch him fall on his face during the sport he's supposedly  _soooo_  good at." Judy could almost see the cogs in the sheep's head start to grind and smoke with the way her face scrunched up in confusion.  _That's right, Shar. Do I like him or do I loathe him?_ She imagined there would be many more times she could use this to mess with her friend's mind and she was looking forward to it.  _I'm gonna make those wool curls of yours straighten by the end of the semester._

But as she watched her friend shake her head and start to walk down the trail with Judy following along, one thought kept nagging at her. Rabbits tended to be associated with luck. It was part of their own folklore even. However it was not always positive. And with as much good luck as they had been reaping, it meant that soon it was going to run out.

* * *

Without raising her eyes from her phone, Judy dropped her book bag next to the desk in her room. She couldn't help but let out several titters at the conversation she had been having with her fox and she lay on the bed with her phone in her paws.

**Judy** _: So Sharla caught me watching u at practice_

**Nick** :  _Yeah? How did u get out of that one? Or will half the Tri-Burrows know about us by dinner?_

**Judy:** _Somehow the timing was perfect and she saw u go flat on ur snout_

**Nick:** _Ugh. Dont remind me._

**Judy:** _Aww. I'll kiss it and make it feel better tonite_

**Nick:** _I also may have bruised my lips. And my neck_

**Judy:** _Dont push ur luck, Slick_

**Nick:** _Lol. So what did u do?_

**Judy:** _She thought I was gloating you falling, not watching your hot tail run around. So I made her believe it. I got her hopping all over trying to figure if I like u or hate u._

**Nick:** _Hopping. Hah!_

**Judy:** _Pfft. U dork_

She was having so much fun texting that she had apparently missed being called by her mother. When she hadn't responded, Bonnie had come to collect her herself. The click of her doorknob turning made the doe toss the phone unceremoniously under her while plopping her front onto it. It was an incredibly awkward appearance and there was no practical reason her to ever assume that position, but it was all she had time for.

"Judy? It's time for dinner, Bun-bun. Oh!" Possibly thinking her daughter had fallen asleep, Bonnie had approached quietly so as not to startle Judy too much. However when she had rounded the bed and seen Judy's eyes open and tracking her movements, she realized the young bunny was just laying in a very strange and awkward way.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute, mom." She was going to have to cut her conversation with Nick short which really didn't sit well with her, but there was not much she could do about it.

"Make sure to brush that raised area of fur between your ears. It looks like there's a twig in it." That was an odd request for her mother to make for a dinner but she didn't need to wait long for an explanation. "The Boundersons have stopped by for dinner."

 _Of course,_ Judy thought dryly. Her father had been doing business with Jeremiah Bounderson for longer than she had been alive. The graying rabbit was the biggest tractor mechanic in Bunnyburrow and, since it was all farm country, he did plenty of business. Because her father and Mr. Bounderson had gone to high school together, the Hopps family was able to trade a lot of labor for produce. Unfortunately he and his wife tended to stop in from time to time. Mr. Bounderson was known for his obsessive love of puns which nobody really found funny except her father. His wife was quiet, but not because she was shy. Cynthia Bounderson was the daughter of a very wealthy surgeon in Zootopia and an uptight snob as well. Save for her husband and her children, the rest of the world she saw as beneath her. Judy never could figure out what made them come together but the old saying of 'opposites attract' seemed to fit very well.  _Then again I_ ** _am_** _dating a fox,_ she thought while hiding a grin.  _Guess the old adage isn't so out there._

Lost in her musings, she hadn't realized her mother had still been talking and was now waiting for an answer of some sort. "Uhh…what?" Bonnie looked down at her daughter incredulously and sighed.

"The Boundersons have brought someone along with them," Judy felt a buzzing vibration come from beneath her chest and tried to subtly push herself deeper into the bed so her mother wouldn't hear the text coming through, "so please comb your fur and put on something nicer than grass stained shorts and a sweaty shirt." Judy looked offended by that before taking a tentative sniff of herself and wincing. Her mother gave her a smug nod and left, letting the doe get ready for whatever deal her father wanted to push on his old friend.

Pulling out her phone she keyed up the text app.

**Nick:** _I am not a dork. That is an insult to true dorks everywhere_

**Nick:** _U there?_

**Judy:** _Yeah srry. Mom came in. Dad's business partner is here for dinner so I gtg. C u tonite?_

**Nick:** _Cant wait ;)_

Her smile ridiculously broad, Judy headed over to the closet to find something she could pull on. She wasn't the 'girly' type in the clothing department. She owned one dress that she had worn for a wedding over the summer and did not think this was the sort of occasion for that. Settling instead on a short sleeve pink checkered shirt and a pair of faded denim jeans, she applied a short burst of musk mask that Nick had left behind. It took care of the smell from her fur but not the feeling. She knew she would need a shower after dinner so eating quickly and being excused first was a must, otherwise it could be several hours before a shower opened up.

Skipping with her usual merriment, Judy made her way through the seemingly unceasing corridors towards the main dining room. It was an extensive area. Nearly a hundred feet long with a massive oak table laid out in the center. With everyone squished together there was just enough room to fit the whole family into a single meal serving. And as older siblings left to start their own families, the room on the benches grew to a more comfortable degree.

As always her mother and father sat next to each other at the head of the table. Directly beside them in the area where normally the eldest children sat, Mr. and Mrs. Bounderson were partaking of their own plates, though the female of that pairing looked disdainfully down at the meal Bonnie had lovingly made.

Across from them was an empty seat and just beside that spot was an unfamiliar rabbit. Nicely dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pressed slacks with a deep red tie finishing off the ensemble, the unknown buck looked calm and collected, an impressive feat while being surrounded by a couple hundred screaming children they had never met. Deep chestnut fur covered him in an unbreakable flow and it practically glowed with a healthy shine. Judy could tell this was a fine specimen of a rabbit buck even if every one of her sisters had  _not_  been drooling over him and several of them giving her dagger-like glares. She also could feel her instinctual alarms going off.

"Jude! Come on over here," her father called to her with an excited wave. She hesitantly made her way up the table, well past her normal seat until she reached the head of the table. Stu patted the empty seat next to him. She was torn between running back to her room based on her hunch and not wanting to embarrass or upset her father. Noting the smell of both candied and honey-lemon carrot dishes, Judy decided on the less harmful one to her parents. She didn't want to be rude, after all. The fact that it was one of her favorite dishes had nothing to do with her choice, she told herself.

"Judy, this is Theodore Bounderson," her mother stated. The younger doe put her paw out and let the chestnut buck take it in his own. She was about to say hello when he bent at the waist to press his lips to the back of her paw. Caught off guard Judy sucked in a breath, eyes wide in disbelief. It was a very old-fashioned greeting and was only done for one reason. "He's just enrolled at Tri-Burrows University."

"I…see…" Judy leveled a hard stare at her mother who conveniently turned her own eyes back to her plate in front of her. She knew exactly what this dinner meeting was about and she was not pleased. However she did not want to cause a scene, at least not this early in the evening knowing how her mother would hound her for hours afterwards. "So…umm Theodore-"

"Call me Theo, please." The buck's smile was casual yet conveyed a lot of charm. Her sisters would be falling all over themselves to be sitting where she was that night, but all she could think of was the smile on a longer muzzle of russet and cream.

"Theo," she offered him a small smile in return though not truly feeling the emotion she was portraying. "What are you going to school for?" The buck took a sip of water before turning back to give her his full attention.

"I want to be a lawyer." Judy was a bit shocked at that. Very,  _very_  few bunnies took on such a demanding career. The stress was not something most rabbits wanted or even  _could_  handle. "I hear you are interested in dealing with the law yourself."

Once more Judy gave her mother a look. This time though it was met with a firm resolve. Now she knew  _exactly_  why she had been the daughter chosen. Although she supposed not ever having a firm boyfriend was also part of the reason. The young doe wondered if her mother would change her tune if she knew that she had been spending her nights wrapped in the arms of another mammal.

"It's quite impressive to hear that a bunny wants to join law enforcement. A rabbit police officer. That would certainly go a long way towards getting others to look down on us as only 'cute and cuddly', don't you think?" Judy was surprised by Theo's self-awareness and did find it interesting that his own thoughts mirrored hers.

"Exactly!" She was thrilled to find another of her kind that understood everything she had been training and studying for. "And I'm sure as a lawyer you'll have plenty of colleagues on the other side of the courtroom that will underestimate you."

The two began a long and involved conversation about their respective fields and how they both complimented and combatted each other. Theo was adamant about the statute of 'innocent until proven guilty' which Judy had an issue with lawyers about since they were under oath to not reveal what their client said even if they  _were_  guilty. Theo on the paw pointed out how her job was all about suspicion and rash decisions. Even when it got heated, the two were respectful of the other's stance.

Near the end of the night when the meal had long been over and most of the table had retired for the evening, Theo turned slightly to give her his full attention. "Judy. I would like to enjoy your company some more. Perhaps we can go to dinner sometime." So lost in the enjoyable conversation with a like-minded individual, Judy had forgotten what the real reason for the dinner had been. Left with only two options and both of them set to hurt at least one mammal, she didn't really know how to answer.

To buy herself a bit of time in how to let the buck down gently, she turned to her mother. "Mom. Can I talk to you in the other room please?" She stood without really giving the matron a choice and headed for the doorway.

With a hurried apology and a promise to be right back, Bonnie hurried after her daughter. When she had rounded the corner into a side room, Judy slammed the heavy door behind her, causing the older doe to jump. Since it was the dining area her parents normally used, the door was soundproofed so they could hold conversations without being disturbed. An intercom system was how they kept tabs on what was going on with their children in the next room.

"Mom." She leveled a full glare at the older mammal, her foot tapping rapidly.

"Judy."

Judy's glare intensified. "Mother."

Bonnie's casual voice grew icier. "Judith."

"Why did you invite him?! You know I don't have any interest in dating these bucks you keep trying to set me up on." Exasperated she began pacing, throwing her paws and arms around wildly. "I don't have time for them. I'm too busy with schoolwork and track and Math team,"  _not too mention a gorgeous fox who is going to be snuggling me in a few hours._ She made sure to keep that part to herself.

"Judy…Bun-bun," the softer tone in her mother's voice calmed her down some. She was still upset but she had lost her desire to scream. Bonnie stepped closer to her daughter and reached a paw out to stroke her ears down along her back. "I'm just worried for you. You always turn down any bucks that come by. The only boyfriend I've ever seen you have was that Bobby Catmull. I just…I want you to have someone there for you. Your dream is noble and incredible, but you should have someone to share it with."

"Mom…" Judy couldn't help but let out a sniffle. She knew her parents loved her but whenever her mother got so personal with her it tended to cause a few extra tears to slip out. She was so tempted to break her and Nick's agreement and tell her mother all about the red fox just to settle her concerns. However she had a feeling that would make things a lot worse. Bad enough letting her know that she had been hiding a secret relationship for months, but that she had been sneaking out of the house, not to mention Nick spending time in her room the past few nights. No, that was something she and Nick would need to approach her parents with together.

"Look, I don't want to upset you or make you worry. I just don't feel like dating right now." She hoped that would finish the discussion but if there anyone more stubborn than her it was her mother.

"Please, Judith. Just…give him a chance. I think you and he could really hit it off. You both have a lot in common." The teenager stared into pleading eyes that were like hers if not just a shade lighter. She could feel her will starting to slip before it crashed down completely. She sighed heavily and dropped her head.

"Alright mom. I'll go out with him.  _Once._ I'm not promising any more than that."  _And it won't go any further than that, period._

"I can accept that." Her mother looked positively giddy at her acceptance. "Let's head back into the dining room. You and Theodore can decide where you want to go."

"Okay mom."  _Poor buck doesn't have a chance._

* * *

The burrow was asleep save for a few college age siblings still studying and the occasional gamer grinding away levels with no concern for the time. Another fair soul was still laying awake while anxiously staring at her clock. It seemed as if only a few minutes would pass between each time she looked over.

Nick was several minutes past the time they had arranged together. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Having to evade both of their families often lead to a late rendezvous and even having to cancel some nights. However they normally would have texted to let the other know long before they were to meet. She really hoped he would be able to make it that night after what happened at dinner.

The buck had been nice and polite, offering to take her to a rather nice restaurant on the edge of town. She had to force herself to say yes for a multitude of reasons, but one of the major ones was she felt guilty for wasting his time and money since she had no intentions to continue seeing him. Eventually though she was unable to come up with a good enough reason to refuse without it looking as an insult.

When he had kissed her paw a second time, she could hear some of her sisters swoon behind her, however it had made her want to curl her lip and yank her paw back. Only Nick's lips belonged on her. It had been even more disconcerting to find when she got back to her room that his scent had seemed to have rubbed off on some of her clothing while at dinner. They had been shoved together in such a tight space that it most likely was inevitable but it didn't make her feel any better about it. Using a good portion of what was left of the musk mask in her desk, she sniffed herself over while changing clothes to make sure the offending scent was gone.

Now she sat waiting for her fox to arrive, albeit very impatiently. If the walls had not been built with the intention of subduing sound levels, she was sure her siblings would be complaining about her rapidly thumping foot.

Soon enough though a sound at her window had her turning around. The sight of a grinning muzzle and emerald eyes glinting mischievously through the glass had her heart leaping just as her feet did to reach the latch and quickly yank the window open.

In tumbled the tod who still had difficulty slipping in the rather small opening. With the bed right below it, his short fall was broken by the bounce of a bunny-sized mattress. Somehow, and she was still stumped how he always managed it, Nick would twist his form in midair to land on the sheets as if posed for a model shoot.

"Sorry I'm late, hunny-bunny. Mom was sniffing around. Literally. I think I left an old sandwich in my bag and she was rooting through my stuff." Judy couldn't help but smile back as she leapt onto the bed and threw herself into his arms.

"It's alright," she managed to get out in-between a flurry of kisses on the vulpine's muzzle. "I'm just glad you could come." Leaning down, she pressed her cheek against his chest and nuzzled into it. She sighed happily, knowing that this was where she always wanted to be. "I have something to tell you but I don't think you'll like it." When no response came she pulled her head back just enough to glance up. "Nick?"

What she saw stunned her. Nostrils flared with each heavy breath he took in while Nick's eyes narrowed in what she could only describe as confusion. He buried his nose into the top of her head between her ears and took a deep sniff before snorting and shaking his head back and forth.

Judy closed her eyes and winced.  _Oh no._  She forgot that after Theo had kissed her paw she had pushed her ears back in aggravation. She must have spread the scent. _I didn't get all of it._ And with the rest of her scent being covered by musk mask it probably looked to him that she was trying to hide it. "Nick, I-." A low growl cut her off and she lifted her head quickly in surprise.

"Who." It wasn't a question so much as a demand.

"That business partner of my dad's? They brought their eldest along. Mom was trying to set me up with him." She squeaked in surprise when his arms suddenly wrapped tightly around her. "Nick?" She almost chittered with approval when she felt his nose rooting into her fur, making sure to spread his scent along her ears and top of her head to smother the other, much weaker smell from the buck.

"My bunny," he growled while clutching her possessively. Judy giggled and reached up a paw to stroke his muzzle.

"Your bunny."


	11. Insecurity or too much security?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'd like to make an excuse for why this took so long to get out. And I easily could. There were many factors. But really, just no drive. Too much shit going on and no time to sit at the computer. And even when there was the inspiration just went (in the words on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command) "Bye-bye, Wooo see ya!" So yeah. Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: So I read in a 'Fair Use' article for school that I could be sued for using any of these characters, disclaimer or not. So I would just like to say this: Disney. You are amazing and have created a beautiful story with Zootopia. We all love Nick and Judy and, while I do not own ANY of the movie characters, I love to write about them. Thanks and please don't sue me.
> 
> Now the other disclaimer in invisible ink: I am soooo totally stealing those rights to Zootopia on my next trip to Disney. I have it all planned out. I'll need five dozen eggs, a large bald man in green body paint with weird shaped ears, a woman who can play coma/dead while in a glass coffin, and a clown. For distraction purposes of course.
> 
> Oh crap. This only saves in black ink.

As a teenager, Judy was a spectacular disappointment in one of the few things other teens cared about. Judy  _loved_  school. Learning was one of her biggest passions. The doe would spend hours every week absorbing literature from every facet of life. Every genre would interest her and every story would educate her. Even on the mornings where she was virtually exhausted from spending all night with her fox, Judy would normally hop out of bed with a smile on her face and a drive to meet the day with enthusiasm.

If it were not for the stormy gray fur and white underbelly, nor the brilliant violet eyes peeking from between half-closed lids, the bunny that was half dragging/half rolling herself out of bed that Monday morning would never have been recognizable as Judy Hopps.

A miserable groan was all that greeted the sun shining into her room. It was not that she was tired from the weekend or even staying out late the night before. She had more than enough energy to be her normal self. No. The lethargic appearance of the bunny had more to do with a certain date she had to attend that evening.

"Can't believe I agreed to this." Straightening herself out as much as she was able, Judy stumbled over to her small desk where a vanity mirror rested on the wall above it. Grabbing a brush she began her morning grooming.

_You did it so that mom would get off our back._

"I know that. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

_At least it's only one dinner. We never promised anything else. And we'll be back in time to see Nick!_

_"_ There is that," she admitted. If there was one thing that never failed to brighten her day was her cuddle time with her fox.

Scooping up her backpack, she shoved the few books she would need for the day into it and headed for the hall. She was up early enough for breakfast and by the smell she could detect pancakes were on the menu.

As Judy passed by Sarah's room on the way to breakfast, her ears caught a faint giggling coming from inside. As it was still relatively early and Sarah was known for not exactly waking up at a reasonable hour, the sound of her laughter was a rather unusual noise. Curious, Judy carefully cracked the door and peeked inside.

"Oh stop it. You are so bad." Sitting in front of her laptop, the spotted doe was shaking with muted laughter. Because of how Sarah's bed was positioned, Judy could only see enough of the screen to note it was a video chat. Now her interest was piqued. She didn't figure her sister for being one to chat online.

"And don't you forget it, cutie." That brought Judy's ears from partially erect in curiosity to standing full in earnest. For her sister to have someone calling her cute in such a flirtatious manner was one thing, and the sweet and sultry voice belonging to a female was another, however in Bunnyburrow that was not so uncommon that she had never witnessed it before, even with her sister. What caught her attention though was that she knew that voice.

"So do you think you'll be able to come up for the Carrot Days festival? It's the second weekend in October," Sarah said cheerfully. Judy was sure the smile on her sister's face must be blinding to the other mammal.

"Ugh. October. It's so cold in October. What's with you farmers and not ever being cold?" Sarah started laughing again.

"We're not on the ocean like you are. It's Bunnyburrow, you goof. It doesn't get cold here. Heck, half the year we practically live in bathing suits."

"Bathing suits, you say..." A smattering of high pitched squeaks and giggles coming from the monitor mirrored her sister as she rolled around in mirth. "I think I can be persuaded to come up. Gotta promise to show a girl a good time though."

"Oh I'm sure you two will have tons of fun." Sarah let out a shrill ' _Eep!'_ and fell off the bed in her shock as Judy strode into the room.

"Who is that? Is that Judy?" The gray doe approached the bed and peered over at the screen. "It  _is!_  Hi!"

"Hey Trisha." Judy gave a rather reserved wave to the chocolate brown doe who looked like she was trying to crawl through the screen. "Haven't talked to you in a while. I didn't realize you and Sarah were still pen pals." Though it had been nearly two years since she had last talked with the dark-toned bunny she could easily remember her voice and especially her mannerisms. She didn't know a single bunny quite like her.

"Right. 'Pen Pals'," Trisha said while making quotations in the air and a devious smirk on her lips. "I gotta go get dressed for school. I'll see you later, sweetie," she called out to Sarah who was only now crawling back up on the bed, her white cheek bright red in embarrassment. Trisha blew the multi-colored doe a kiss and gave Judy a quick wink before signing off.

Watching as her sister slowly closed her laptop without so much as sparing a glance in her direction, Judy couldn't keep a grin off her face. "So. You and Trisha, huh?"

Sarah began tracing abstract movements in her bedspread while keeping her eyes downward. "Maybe," she murmured.

"How did that happen? I knew you two were pen pals in ninth year for that school project but I didn't realize you two kept in touch."

"Yeah. We talked a couple of times a week for a while. Just comparing school days and gossip. Which Avenger we thought was the hottest. Normal stuff." Judy cocked a brow at that.

"Oh really. And who picked who?"

"Well...she likes Robert Howley Jr."

"A wolf?" Judy thought she should be shocked but she remembered what her sister had told her of her pen pal a couple years ago and decided it really wasn't that far out there. "And who did you pick?"

She was surprised Sarah's comforter didn't begin smoking with how intensely she kept her eyes focused on the bed. "Scarlet Johansson."

"The vixen?!" Sarah's whole body flushed red. "Oh-ho! Well. That's certainly unexpected. I would have figured it was a bunny but-"

"Yeah. There's no does in that movie."

"Not exactly where I was going with that but duly noted." She laughed as Sarah went to an even deeper shade under her white fur. "Don't worry, sis. First off, I would never judge who you wanted to be with. Heck, my boyfriend has fangs and is part of a species that used to eat us. And not the fun way! Second, you're not the only doe who wants another one in her bed in this family. I think like twenty of our sisters swing that way? And another fifty swing both ways."

"It's not that. I just...I want to keep this between us. Okay? I've never felt like this about anyone before and I'm worried I might ruin it somehow."

Judy crossed the rest of the way and sat down next to her sister. Placing an arm over her shoulder, the older bunny pulled her in tight. Sarah in turn laid her head onto Judy's shoulder and nuzzled against it.

"Sarah. I don't think you need to worry about messing up anything. You are the sweetest, most caring bunny in the whole world. And I know you are going to make some mammal so ridiculously happy someday. And," she said while watching her sister's rosy pink eyes focus on her laptop, "I bet Trisha could be that mammal. So don't fret so much. And I will definitely keep your secret."

Sarah wrapped her arms around her tight. "Thanks, Jude." Squeezing her sister back, Judy nuzzled the younger doe's cheek.

"Alright now. You gotta get dressed for school. All this girl talk is gonna make us late."

* * *

There were many things Judy had envisioned happening at school that day. Before she had even entered the front doors she was already expecting to hear a significant amount of gossip about her upcoming date that night. She imagined there would be more than one doe coming up to her and offering advice or cooing and asking if he really was as handsome up close as they thought. But her what she had envisioned didn't happen. It was worse.

During the weekend her sisters had pleaded and begged and pressed for information from her about her date. They wanted to know where they were going, what she was planning to wear. Was she going to sneak him into the house? Was she going to sneak into his? Eventually the questions turned into rumors and before long the word was going around the house that the two of them had snuck off into a side room to make out. And no matter how many times Judy would refute them, the rumors would simply grow.

She had not even considered how well-known Theodore was. She had never kept up with the sports teams from other schools beyond Deerbrooke for rivalry reasons, and even then she really only focused on the track team. So finding out that the buck had been the star forward and captain of the basketball team, as well as very skilled first base-mammal with a near perfect hitting record came as a bit of a surprise. Now the attention seemed to make more sense, though she still didn't want it anywhere near her.

The first thing that happened when she got to school that morning was a bombardment of voices all ringing out around her at the same time. The problem with one of the more famous teenage rabbits asking someone out on a date was that someone being made famous themselves. It was bad enough that Judy already held many school records, was seductively beautiful, and could intimidate a buffalo into leaving or beat one down if she needed to instead. Now she was in the sights of every female, and several males, who hadn't cared about those qualities before.

"You're really going out with Theodore Bounderson? Oh my!"

"He's  _soooo_  dreamy."

"His ears are  _perfect!_ "

Surrounded by a practical mob of bunnies, Judy found it impossible to push away from her locker after depositing her books. Even with the second bell ringing and everyone now in danger of being marked tardy for class, they continued to swarm around her.

"Alright already!" The strong voice caused a silence to fall. Judy's strong ears could now pick up the slightly elevated heartbeat from each rabbit around her and also the clacking noise walking towards them. "Second bell went off. Anyone here got Thomson for first period?"

The result was almost comical. Nearly half the students were trampled by the sudden stampede of rabbits walking, running, and even hopping down the hallway. Mr. Thomson was the AP Biology teacher and the gazelle was extremely strict on attendance. Too many tardies equaled a reduction in grade and with his curriculum being as tough as it already was, a dropped letter could easily result in failing the class.

Judy breathed a little easier at seeing the crowd around her break apart and move on towards their own classrooms. "Thanks Sharla."

The black ewe that had come across her friend nearly buried in bunnies grinned widely. "No problem, Jude. Now I get to ask you all those questions myself." Judy groaned.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sharla chuckled heartily, shaking her head at Judy while the doe rubbed a paw over her face.

"Because you know me all too well, probably? Now," she clapped her hooves together and rubbed them mischievously. "Let's start easy, shall we? How long have you been hiding Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?"

Judy scoffed. "He's not that tall. He's like my height."

"So you admit he's handsome."

"What? No!" Judy practically yelled, her eyes going wide. "I never said that. And I'm not hiding him. I never met him until Friday night when my parents had his over for dinner."

"Huh. With the way the word is going around the school I wouldn't have been surprised to get an invite to your wedding." Judy stopped dead in the hallway.

"W- _wedding?!"_ The doe was horrified. If something like that was being spread around then she needed to find a way to end it quick. "I'm not getting married! I only agreed to one date because my mother practically forced me into it. And you better tell  _everyone_  that talks about 'marriage' that Theo and I are  ** _not_**  getting married!"

"'Theo', huh?" Sharla's brow waggled in the bunny's direction. Judy shoved the sheep while turning into her classroom. The ewe's laughter along with the ewe herself followed the gray-furred rabbit to the back.

"Morning, Carrots. Big date tonight I hear." While unloading her backpack of her math book and a notepad with a few pens, Judy's ears swiveled towards the voice next to her. It was calm, smooth, and controlled. The perfect aloof attitude. She could tell differently however. Glancing out of the corner of her eye she could just see the minuscule twitch of Nick's black-tipped ear. It took her many weeks to learn to read the tod who was a master of deception when it came to his true feelings, but she knew. Even with the joking they had done over the weekend about how awkward the dinner would probably be she could see he was still upset about it.

_Could he seriously be jealous? He knows I would never abandon him. Especially not for some...lawyer buck._

"Oh don't I know it. According to half the population of Bunnyburrow, at least it feels like it, I'm apparently meeting my future husband." She couldn't help but put a small scoff into her words, as if the very idea seemed ludicrous to her.

"Oh? Well, bunnies  _do_  move that fast sometimes. Didn't your sister marry that mechanic on her first date?" Nick's smile still seemed genuine and to others it probably fooled them, but Judy could see the strain behind it.

"And divorced the next morning." Sharla snickered on Judy's other side. "Holly has never been the best judge in character when it comes to males," the bunny finished. Sadly she wasn't embellishing anything. When it came to Holly, the revolving door of marriage and divorce was constantly spinning.

"Don't worry, Nick." The two mammals turned towards the black ewe. "I doubt this date will last ten minutes before Judy throws a drink in his face and storms out. That's what happened last time she went out with someone. You still have a chance," she cooed while sending a wink Nick's way.

Right then Judy had an overwhelming urge to just tell her friend about her and the fox's relationship, more to ease what she felt was Nick's apparent and concerning jealousy than it was to end the speculation, but Nick surprised her.

"Hey Gid," Nick waved towards the classroom's door. Sharla let out a tiny bleat in panic before whipping around to face the entrance only to see nobody there. Nick and Judy both laughed heartily while Sharla sulked in her seat.

"Hate you guys. Sooo much."

* * *

_You really shouldn't be doing this._  
_No shit, thanks for sharing. You think you can ace the finals this year with those brains?_  
_Oh her har. You think Judy is going to be happy about you sneaking into the restaurant? For following her on her "date"?_  
_It's_ **_NOT_ ** _a date! It's just two mammals going out to dinner at the same time, in the same place, eating at the same table. Besides it was her mother's idea, not hers.  
_ _Obviously it's not a_ **_real_ ** _date. But she's still gonna be pissed._

If Nick could list out his top ten most brilliant plans he had ever come up with, the one he was currently trying to execute wouldn't even be close. In fact, if he  _could_  rank it, he doubted he could even assign it a number.

_The only thing worse had to have been that hustle last summer._  
_Hey, making dozens of small pawpsicles from that one giant one was a brilliant idea. Wasn't my fault Finnick didn't count on Tundratown being so cold that everything got freezer burn._  
_Yep. Not only was it fifteen bucks wasted plus the extra four and change for the sticks, but you had a pissed off fennec with you all day.  
_ _Still a great sleep-over, though._

Nick chuckled at the memory of that weekend. It had been near the end of summer and just before they were set to move to Bunnyburrow. Finnick had recently learned his own family was going to be moving as well, but he was headed overseas, not just a couple hundred miles south of the city. The smaller tod's father had just been given transfer orders to a different airbase. Quite a few curses had come streaming from the fennec's mouth when he found that out. He loved his parents dearly and was extremely proud of his Airforce Colonel father, but that didn't stop him from being pissed about it.

They had decided that they would have one last bit of rebellion together before their contact would be limited to video calls at random hours. The idea had been simple and born from a chance encounter the day before where they had witnessed a hippopotamus child and young squirrel sitting together enjoying milkshakes. When the squirrel's had accidentally spilled, the much larger mammal had given part of his to his sad friend to try and cheer him up. While it worked just fine, Nick and Finn had been astounded to suddenly realize that the eight dollar shake the hippo had would have made a hundred squirrel sized ones that cost three dollars a piece.

"We could make bank on this, Nick! How has this never been figured out before?" the small fox had been ridiculously excited at the idea. It wasn't illegal he argued and while his dad would be furious if he ever found out, he could at least buy a really good laptop or tablet so they weren't talking to each other on tiny screens. Nick had ridden the creative high with his friend and formulated a plan which they put into use the very next day.

Unfortunately the brilliance of their not-quite-on-paper plan refused to cooperate with their imagination. It had taken them nearly an hour to find a single large-mammal vendor that was willing to sell them an extra large popsicle, and even then they only got it because Finnick decided to use his size to his advantage for once and threw a tantrum looking like a toddler and they mainly just wanted them to get out.

Then they had needed to find a place to melt the popsicle down. Finnick had an idea about that which would have been brilliant if they had their own set of wheels. Instead they had needed to stand on the bus to Sahara Square, all the while trying to avoid becoming horrendously sticky while the juice pop dripped down their arms. When they had finally gotten to the place Finnick had noted, Nick was already aggravated by the whole thing before he had learned he was going to have to scale the pipe with a thirty pound melting popsicle on his back. And then to add insult to injury, after letting the sugary liquid to melt down and slide into the gutter, they discovered there was some dried sand still left inside the drain.

Nick had all but given up and was ready to go home but Finnick was adamant that once they froze the smaller popsicles then everything would be smooth sailing. He had neglected to inform Nick exactly  _where_  it was that they were going. Going from one suffering temperature extreme to the other did not help Nick's mood. Coincidentally, the moment they discovered the quick freeze of the juice ruined the product was the same moment when he could no longer feel his tail. A disgruntled red fox had headed for the bus stop while leaving behind a small and struggling Snowfennec behind him.

Fortunately for the two of them they had failed before getting any further. They learned later that they had violated several food laws in just  _acquiring_  the popsicle. Both had sworn off hustling from that day on. They just weren't cut out for the wrong side of the tracks they supposed.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

Nick was so startled he nearly jumped out of his fur. Out of instinct he raised his head and scanned quickly left to right looking for the threat that would have caused his adrenaline to spike. A forced clearing of a throat had him instead turning to his elbow. Nick flushed in embarrassment upon seeing the face of an amused elderly otter. Normally the fox would have gotten a chuckle out of being called 'sir' by someone so silver-furred as the water mammal before him, however he had been so spooked he nearly forgot where he was.

"Order? Oh! Right, order." Running his eyes over the menu but not really reading the words, Nick gestured at what he thought was the seafood section and deciding to go with what he had the last time he had been there with his parents. "Grilled trout with baked potato."

The otter arched his brow at seeing the flustered tod point towards the Chicken Marsala dish but rattle off a seafood one instead. Noting the way his brilliant green eyes kept flitting over to the other side of the restaurant, the aging mammal took a slide glance in that direction. To say that he was surprised by the fox eyeing a pair of rabbits would have been an understatement, but the otter was not worried by it. With age comes wisdom and a knowledge the young rarely understood. He knew the look in that canine's eye all too well having seen it in many pairs over his lifetime and chose to leave him be for the moment. "Trout it is, sir. Very good choice." Scooping up the menu, he left the fox trying to duck behind a narrow-stemmed flower sitting in the center of the table.

_Oh god this is so stupid._

_That's what I've been trying to say all night!_

While trying to keep his head down as much as possible, Nick made sure at least one eye stayed on Judy in case she suddenly needed his help. He was finding it hard to watch as his bunny tipped her head back and laughed at something the other rabbit had said. He wasn't worried about her intentions on 'the date', he knew he had her heart. It still hurt though to see her enjoying someone else's company when it could just as easily have been his.

It seemed as if only moments had passes but the next time he looked down there was a steaming trout laid in front of him. To distract himself, he cut into it and lifted a forkful to his lips.  _I am paying for it after all. Shouldn't let it go to waste._ Once the meat hit his tastebuds the rich flavor certainly helped take his mind off things enough to relax.

And then it happened.

As his gaze went back to the fair doe he winced to see her smiling and shaking her head fast enough to let her ears flop in front of her shoulders, the long, silky appendages framing her face making her even more cute. It was perhaps his favorite thing to see about her, but until then he hadn't been forced to share that particular vision. And just when he decided that he should probably just leave before he did or said something moronic, Judy's eyes flashed around the room before meeting his.

Widening pupils told him she was stunned to see him there and were it not for the buck finishing his own bite of salad and turning back to his 'date' she most likely would have continued to stare. Thankfully she caught the motion in the corner of her eye and swapped her attention back to him. Nick was astonished to see how easily she went from laughing to shocked to casual laughter again without missing a beat.

Nick kept telling himself the rest of the night to just pay the check and go home. Leave before anyone catches him and figures out their secret relationship, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Every so often Judy's and his eyes would meet and a silent understanding would flash between them. But unlike the first look, every other one showed her silent anger, something that confused Nick greatly. He kept watching hoping that the next time she looked his way that it would be love or sympathy in her eyes, but no. It was always anger.

Soon enough the night came to an end. Judy and Theo stood with the buck leaving a small stack of bills on the table. She allowed him to drape her sweater over her shoulders before the two exited the restaurant. Nick felt as if a spell had been broken. Leaping to his feet, he pulled several bills of his own from his wallet and dropped it on the table. Halfway out the door he realized he most likely had just left a one hundred percent tip or more but he wasn't going back in. Thirty seconds later his car was out of the parking lot and headed for home.

* * *

"That stupid, dumb, idiotic…ARGH!"

With her tiny fists balled up and face beet red, the look Judy was giving her unyielding bed post was unnerving. Her foot throbbed from where she had kicked the stiff wood in anger. It was not the smartest move she had ever done but when she was upset her sense of recklessness tended to skyrocket.

Stripping off her light blouse, she flung it towards the hamper in disgust. "I can't believe he would  _spy_  on me like that!" Her jeans soon joined the shirt which left her hunting through her drawers for something else to wear. Still fuming, she grabbed the first pair of shorts and light t-shirt she found, not caring what they looked like or even if they fit properly. The shirt ended up being a bit too large and hung off her shoulder but it went ignored for the time being. "Does he seriously not trust me? After all these months does he think I would just abandon him for some…some… _rabbit?!"_

_Maybe he wasn't spying?_  
_Oh and he just happened to be at the only ritzy restaurant in town at the same time as me?_  
_Okay, fair point. Why not just ask him?  
_ _Oh I will. The minute I see that smug-faced_ **_sneak_ ** _I'll be doing more than 'talking.'_

A tap at her window told the doe that minute she was waiting for had arrived. Gritting her teeth together, she stepped over to the exterior wall and stopped. Staring at the figure just on the other side of the glass, she had a strong urge to yank the curtains and ignore the fox even existing for the time being. Instead she flicked open the lock and let the red-furred mammal tumble inside as he normally did.

At first a smile had graced the Tod's lips but, at the sight of such a severe scowl adorning his bunny's own, that expression quickly vanished in favor of a timid one.

"Nicholas Wilde I cannot  _believe_  you! You  _followed_ me?!" The sheer venom in her words caused the fox to rock back on the bed, his motions almost looking like he wanted to flee. "I am so furious with you right now!"

"Carrots-"

"Oh no, don't you start. You knew what you were doing and I am-just-ARGH!" Her foot which had been rapidly thumping against the floor suddenly turned into a hard stomp as she let out a low growl with the intensity of all of her pent-up anger. She was not good at handling emotions like this. She never knew what to say or what to do and so she normally waited until she was ready to boil over and her body did what it could to release the tension.

Breathing heavily, Judy kept her eyes on the floor for almost a minute.  _It does no good to speak in anger_ , she reminded herself. It was a saying her mother would tell all of her children and now was the time for Judy to use that.

"I will give you one chance to explain yourself, Nick." Lifting her head, she met the fox's gaze. It was filled with fear and dismay and it nearly broke her heart. But she had to remain strong on this. "Why did you follow me?"

"To protect you."

Those words stunned the doe. They were not at all what she was expecting. And the way he said them, without any bit of sarcasm or humor, told her he was completely serious. "Protect me? Protect me from what?"

"Everything."

Once more she was shocked by what he said. She wanted to understand but she was now more lost than ever. "Everything? Like what? Theo? You think you needed to protect me from him? I  _am_ capable of defending myself, you know."

"I know you are, Carrots. It's not like that. It's-…" He cocked his head trying to think of a way to explain. "It's a predator thing. Specifically male predators. And canids worse than others." He held up a paw to halt her response while he tried to carefully craft his words.

"Judy," the use of her name immediately caught her attention. It was something he rarely uttered, especially in private. "I want you to-…No. I  _need_  you to understand this, okay?" Nothing the pleading tone in his voice, Judy nodded slowly. Something between a snort and a sigh rushed from the Tod's nose while he worked up the nerve to speak. "My father taught me this a long time ago. It's…it's not exactly flattering to us. Canids, I mean."

"Just tell me, Nick. I'm right here. I'm all ears." She realized what she had said just as the grin reached his lips and she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Laugh about that later, Nick. Now talk."

"Right. Um…god this would be so much easier if you were a vixen." He said those words under his breath while rubbing his the top of his muzzle. However the ears he was just grinning about easily caught them.

"Oh so being a bunny is now a problem?" she stated angrily.

His eyes widened in fear while his heart-rate skyrocketed. This was getting out of hand. "No! No, Fluff that's not it. I just meant that vixens are given this same speech by their mothers like tods are by their fathers. So you would already know if you were. But you're not. And that's not a bad thing! Not at all! I love everything about you, from your tear-shaped cottontail to your long velvety ears-"

"Nick!" He stopped short his rambling and stared at his rather irate girlfriend. "Explain.  _Now."_

"Male canines get overly protective during new relationships they feel are becoming serious like  _serious_  serious and being so young I kind of have a hard time controlling it since the hormones are like crazy strong and I'm not used to it so I followed you because I was worried that you could get hurt and I could never forgive myself if that happened and I'm really sorry I followed you it wasn't right I should have talked to you about this but I was scared about how you might react about the whole thing."

Judy blinked. The whole explanation had come at her in nearly a single breath without pause leaving her brain to try and catch up. "So…if I…wait…" She put a paw to her head and closed her eyes, trying to visualize the words in front of her. "If I understood that, at  _all,_  you were worried I might get hurt so you followed me because your instinct told you to?" Nick nodded. "That doesn't excuse your behavior, Nick. Spying isn't okay. Especially on your girlfriend!" When he had bowed his head in shame, she asked the question that had been burning in her mind for the past hour.

"Were you thinking I was going to leave you for Theo?" It wasn't something she thought would have ever come up between the two of them but she had seen it happen with her own siblings in the past.

"No. Of course I didn't." As he had never lied to her before and judging by the sincerity in his eyes she gathered he was not this time either, she allowed herself to relax slightly.

_So it's not because he thinks I would cheat on him or dump him. Okay, major concern number one dealt with._

"What was with the sad look? I wasn't hurt and you didn't fear me dumping you, so why did you look miserable." Nick cast his eyes away from hers.

"I was jealous."

"Jealous?" The doe scrunched her brow in confusion. "What could you possibly have been jealous over? The whole dinner was to get my mom off my back. You knew that."

"I know. But he got to be out there with you.  _He_ got to take you to dinner.  _He_ got to be seen with you. The closest I could get was to sit half a restaurant away and pretend it was you and I at that table," he muttered dejectedly. "I wish we had never decided to be so secretive. I know  _why_ , Carrots so we don't need to go into that right now. I just would like for that to be us."

"Oh Nick." Stepping forward, she climbed up on the bed next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm still upset that you didn't talk to me about all of this, but at least I understand why you were there."

Nick let his tail wag slowly as his gathered her into his own embrace. He had been so worried after seeing the anger she had been projecting at him, and now he had her back in his arms.

"Nick," she breathed softly into his ear. "What did you mean by ' _serious_ serious'?"

"Uhhh…" He pulled back to see a supremely confident grin on the bunny's lips with a gleeful shine in her eyes. He cursed himself. Nick wasn't exactly ready to have this conversation yet. He was about to explain when a loud chime went off along with a vibrating sound from Judy's phone.  _Saved by the freaking bell._ "Oh would you look at that. A text message!"

She gave him a look that practically screamed that the conversation wasn't over before glancing at the sender. "Oh. It's Theo."

Nick scrambled to look over her shoulder while she unlocked the phone and brought up the text screen.

**Theo:** Hey Judy. I hope u had a good time tonight.

Judy tapped the keypad though it took her a couple tries when Nick's breath caught her ears and made her shiver.

**Judy** : I did, thank you.

**Theo** : So I noticed something was off when I left ur house the other night. Guess I kno why.

**Judy** : Huh?

**Theo** : The fox.

Judy widened her eyes while Nick did the same. Her thumbs went across the screen so rapidly there were several typos but in her panic she didn't even register them.

**Judy** : Fpx? WhT flox?

**Theo** : U kno what 'fpx'. The one that was sneaking around the restaurant.

**Judy** : Rlly? I didnt c anyone.

**Theo** : O? Must have been my imagination then. Cuz I coulda swore I saw u looking at him every like 2 minutes.

"Oh crap, oh crap. He-he can't know, can he?" Judy's chest started heaving as her breaths came faster and faster to the point she was near hyperventilating. Nick wrapped his arm around her and hauled her in close, letting the doe press her cheek to his chest. The scent of her fox tickling the inside of her nose had her breathing slower and deeper, chasing the scent to get as much of it as she could.

"Carrots. Even if he  _does_  know, we just proved that nothing can drive us apart. Not this buck, not your family, and not stupid fox instincts. And if he drags us out into the spotlight, oh well. We can say we managed a secret in a town full of tens of thousands of rabbits for nearly four months. That's still gotta be a record."

Slowly letting her panic recede while nuzzling into Nick's fur, Judy realized he was right. They had known it wouldn't last forever. It would just be a matter of time before they were found out. Sure they had talked about revealing it on their own terms but with all the close calls they had had in public, maybe this way they could at least control the way they might be exposed. The two were so wrapped up in each other's comfort that they had missed a text coming in and only when a second chime went off did they turn towards the phone.

**Theo** : Guessing the lackluster response to when I kissed u on the cheek is because my muzzle isn't long enough huh?

**Theo** : I hope I'm not being too nosey but I AM right, aren't I. U and the fox?

**Judy** : His name is Nick! He's not 'the fox'

**Theo** : Whoa, chill. I only called him fox cuz I didn't know his name. So u and Nick?

Judy sighed and looked up at the tod who was leaning over her shoulder reading along with her. He shrugged leaving it up to her on where she wanted to take the conversation and confirm or deny it. "He's got enough of the picture already to try and get away with it, I guess. Maybe we can get him to keep it quiet?" This time it was Judy's turn to shrug before tapping at the screen.

**Judy** : Yes. Nick and I are a couple.

**Judy** : But we want to keep it a secret for now.

**Theo** : So I gather u want me to keep it quiet?

**Judy** : Please

**Theo** : I can do that

"I wish we could trust that," Nick lightly growled. "I don't trust his kind."

"His  _kind_?" Judy said with a frown. "What, you can't trust bucks?"

"Nah. Lawyers," Nick's snarl turned into a smirk before he rubbed the spot on his arm where Judy just slugged him. "Oh look," Nick gestured to the phone, "guess hare-brain is ahead of us."

**Theo** : I kno u prolly don't trust me, and I don't like making others feel uncomfortable about their relationships, so I'm gonna tell you something about me that you can 'hold hostage' against me. Like trading hostages I guess

Judy cocked her head, confusion marring her face. Nick on the other hand suddenly became very giddy. Clapping his paws, he rubbed them together evilly before grabbing Judy's phone. "Oh  _this_  I gotta know."

**Judy/Nick** : Hello lover boy. This is 'The Fox.' Put ur paws up over your head and turn over the classified documents u got

**Theo** : LOL. Nice to make your acquaintance. Wow, thank god for spellcheck, I wasn't even close to that.

**Judy/Nick** : These are not seeeecrets.

**Theo** : I gotcha. Just…

**Theo** : Don't tell my mother

"Oh now I  _have_  to get in on this!" Nick cried ecstatically. Judy for her part was now lost to her own curiosity and huddled closer around the small screen.

**Judy/Nick:**  Yeah, gotcha. Now spill!

**Theo** : Okay. Umm…First of all, u know u have nothing to fear from me, right Nick?

**Judy/Nick:**  I don't fear anyone when it comes to my bunny.

Judy looked up at him appraisingly. Just a few minutes ago they were arguing back and forth with her accusing Nick of being jealous and worried she was going to dump him for someone else or potentially cheat on her only to find out he was hopelessly devoted to her, trusting her intentions in every way and only there in case he needed to protect her.

**Theo** : I'm engaged.

Judy snatched the phone back, completely turned on her head by that reveal.

**Judy** : Ur  _engaged_? Why did u even ask to go on a date with me then?

**Theo** : To a skunk.

Nick's jaw dropped. It took Judy a few moments but she put the pieces together and shook her head sadly.

**Judy** : And I'm guessing ur mother doesn't like skunks

**Theo** : Not exactly. She feels the same way about every mammal that isn't part of our family. No one is good enough for her kits

**Theo** : so. Deal? you don't talk about my predator and I don't talk about urs?

"Ain't gonna get a better deal than that, Fluff." She smiled up at her fox, making a mental note to turn that smirk of his into a pleased smile for at least the next hour.

**Judy** : Deal

**Theo** : Alright, so that's done. Now, a question for u since inter relationships especially bunnies aren't known around here

**Judy** : Uhh okay?

**Theo** : Does ur pred get a little too…nibbly under the sheets? Cuz I keep having to hide these bite marks and Im running out of excuses. Do u kno any?

Nick started laughing into his paw to keep from waking anyone on that floor up while Judy clapped a paw over her eyes.

"Oh carrot sticks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POST A/N: A little Sarisha fun for those who have followed my past stories. Big thanks to Bluelighthouse for the use of Trisha in this story. It won't be going further than just some video chatting but I was glad I got to introduce the pair so that my sweet little Sundae had someone to love, too.


	12. Chapter 12 - The race is on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, okay. I know. Been too long since I've updated anything. I could give a bunch of excuses, so I'm going to. College classes, kids, home repairs, lack of drive, lack of time, and a general sense of laziness. Anyway here it is! Chapter 12. And a fun one it is.
> 
> For fans of my other stories, do not worry. They are currently in progress and I hope to have chapter 9 of Never Mess with a Fox released soon. Cheers!
> 
> Disclaimer: Blueprints acquired. Video feed jammer set. Mission Impossible theme song downloaded. Fake ID printed. Early dinner ordered. Celebratory cake on hold at bakery. It's go time. Zootopia! You. Will. Be. MINE!

News of Judy's failed date with Theodore followed her around the house for nearly a week afterward, as did numerous attempts from her sisters to give them his contact information to try and show the buck that Hopps girls weren't 'all the same.' Rather than let them bombard the poor mammal, Judy would simply smile and walk off leaving several very disappointed does in her wake.

It wasn't that she did not think her sisters had the looks or ability to keep the buck entertained and deliriously happy in the bed, but Judy was a much different mammal than most rabbits. Until a ring was on a bunny's paw, engagement or wedding, bed hopping was a normal activity. A bunny's sex drive was akin to any other mammal's heat cycle, but it was a year round dilemma and it was often necessary to either have a permanent active partner or find someone open to playing the field. Since she had agreed to keep Theo's engagement a secret, denying her sisters the information was about as much as she could do.

For Judy it was a much different situation. She still felt the pull all of her kind did, however it seemed to be of a lesser degree than the rest of her fellow rabbits. Where her siblings usually started getting antsy when going several days without sex, Judy was capable of taking care of herself by paw every few nights instead. Though ever since she had become involved with Nick, it tended to lean more towards every night. And while she did often wish her nights with Nick became of the more physical variety, she was more than capable of reigning in her hormones to honor his custom and wishes. Unfortunately her sex life, or lack thereof, had been causing Bonnie to worry for her daughter, much as she was that morning.

Ever since Judy had gone through puberty, the matron of the household had found herself concerned with her most stubborn and odd child. She had seen her entire family going through the same drive issues once they had reached a certain age and had gone through the change herself so she understood the feeling. And she had watched her kits all go through it as well. All except one, and it was so difficult to understand.

She wasn't completely naive though. On the rare occasion where her kits would not do their own laundry, Bonnie would have to collect the shirts or pair of pants every now and again. Her nose was not too old to notice certain scents and she had learned that Judy was not completely immune to her hormones since she would sometimes come across a towel that had obviously been used as a hasty cleanup. It did give Bonnie a reason to smile knowing her daughter still was a bunny, even if her drive seemed somewhat less than most.

She had worried about Judy's younger sister Sarah as well as she also seemed to not be interested in jumping in bed with bucks her age, but after finding a few articles of clothing in much the same manner as Judy she didn't worry quite as much. Especially after coming to check on her daughter one evening and finding her slumped over her laptop with few pieces of clothing still on and an equally undressed brown doe on the screen also snoring softly.

When she had begun noticing Judy's scent of arousal becoming more constant each time she had to collect clothing, Bonnie had renewed her hopes that her daughter was simply a late bloomer. It was rare, but it did sometimes happen, and with a few hundred children the odds were a lot better than not. That was why she had started sending certain bucks her way. She hoped that by finding a compatible buck that Judy would think about settling down. Senior year was when most rabbits began to eye serious prospects for becoming mates, though the process could take a couple of years.

It also had the benefit of potentially dissuading Judy from pursuing her career as a police officer. She really wanted to be supportive of her daughter's dream, but every time she thought about it caused her more than a flash of anxiety. However, after realizing that no rabbit she sent Judy's way would cause her to abandon her dream, Bonnie had changed tactics. Find a buck with a common interest. Someone that could compliment Judy's drive and goals in the world. To give her someone to lean on and who could help her when the days became too much.

Theodore had not only fit the bill on career interests, but his physical attributes and general mannerisms had been downright wonderful. Bonnie had been over the moon when she had met the young buck and determined that approaching his father about setting up his child and hers had been one of her greatest ideas. And because of that, when Judy told her that it wasn't going to work, she had been so utterly disappointed.

_"He's a really great guy, mom. He's smart, witty, and driven. There was just no…spark."_

Bonnie knew it had been hopeless to push any further. Once Judy made a decision, the likelihood of her going back on it was the same as her husband suddenly deciding to sell the farm and open up a fur salon in Manta Bay.

 _Well, it_ ** _is_** _Friday. Maybe Judy will see a potential mate at that track meet and **finally**  find someone. _Satisfied with that thought, she went back to making breakfast for her children.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her mother, Judy was currently snuggled into the side of the one she had already found. With her wiggling nose pressed into red and cream fur her slowly waking body continued to enjoy the heady scent coming from him. For so long she had heard that fox musk was overpowering and quite unpleasant, but she had never found Nick's to be that way. In fact it reminded her of pine needles and wildflowers with a hint of violets.

A sharp buzzing sound was what it took to finally rouse her, disrupting a very pleasant dream she had been enjoying. She gave the source a very stern glare but winced when she realized it was her phone rattling against her desk tabletop. The only reason it would be vibrating this early in the morning is that it wasn't early anymore.

"Nick," she hissed quietly while prodding the sleeping tod. "Nick we gotta get- EEP!" She clapped a paw over her mouth to keep her cry from becoming too loud or shrill as she was wrapped up tightly and drawn into the fox's arms.

"Nngh. No up," he mumbled into her fur, his muzzle laying itself between her ears. "Stay here with warm, snuggly bunny."

"Niiick." Judy tried to force the large smile off her face but she couldn't find it in her to be upset with him. She would love to stay in bed all day with him but it just wasn't something they could do yet. Especially not while she still lived at home since her dad would probably chase him from the house in a fury. Her mom was more understanding of bunny hormones but a dad was still a dad and was extremely protective of all his daughters. "We need to get up or we won't have enough time to hide you being here. And I'm pretty sure they will be able to smell you."

"Don't care," his muffled voice sounded. "Let 'em find out. I'm tired."

"I'm tired of hiding it too, Nick. But we both decided it was best for-"

"No, I mean I'm  _tired_. Coach ran us to death with those suicide drills and then being up all night with you, don't get me wrong I enjoyed every minute of it, I'm just so wiped." Her expression becoming softer, Judy stroked the Tod's ears.

"Oh my poor foxy. Hmmm…Okay, I have to hit the shower but why don't you lay here until I get back? Get some more sleep, would that be good?"

"That sounds heavenly," he said with his muzzle now pressed into the pillow since Judy was wiggling free of his embrace. "I'll just tell my folks I went for a run before school."

Judy grinned before shuffling over to her dresser and pulling out her clothes for the day. Out of habit she also grabbed the spare can of industrial strength Musk Mask they kept in her room for just such occasions when Nick slept over, which had become every night at this point. Spraying it through the air and just over the bed, she gave a few sniffs and then smiled with satisfaction. "There. Now you are hidden from 'Chateau Le Bunny' and all of it's inhabitants. Catch a few extra winks while I go get ready for the morning." Leaning down she gave her fox a quick peck on his head before grabbing her bathing kit and scampering out.

Nick watched through barely cracked slits in his eyelids as the gray and white bunny skipped from the room. It was something he rarely got to see since most mornings he would have been gone a very long time ago. He might have let his eyes linger a bit too long on her twitching tail but he justified it by blaming it on 'just waking up Nick.'

 _Besides,_  he thought to himself,  _I'm the boyfriend. I get to look at whatever I like._ He cringed and quickly added a follow-up. _Within reason and as long as permission is given beforehand._ Ever since the two of them had gotten extremely close, Nick had almost become convinced Judy could read minds. Either that or her deductive reasoning was so ridiculously good that he pitied all of the poor fools who tried to commit a crime once she reached the ZPD. So until he could prove that she could not  _actually_  read minds, he would add on those little afterthoughts to his more… _risqué_  thoughts just in case.

After a few minutes Nick came to the conclusion that sleep just was not coming for him again that morning. Either his body had gotten his fill already, which was not the most likely of possibilities, or his mind was simply too consumed with watching his girlfriend step back into her room that rest was of too little importance.  _Mmhmm. Her fur still slightly damp, maybe toweling off her ears-_  "whoa! Down boy!" he urged himself, directing it at a piece of him that was beginning to 'wake up' too.

He was just resigning himself in for a snuggle in the still-warm sheets and comforter he was wrapped in when a sudden knock jolted him out of his stupor. Glancing towards the door, his eyes widened by apprehension, Nick let out a silent prayer that he had heard wrong.

"Judy? Are you up yet?"

"Oh. Crap _."_  He had in fact  _not_ heard wrong. All hopes of the sound coming from a door one or two rooms up the hallway vanished when the gold-tinted door knob squeaked slightly, the bearings inside having grown old and dust filled. Acting on old fox instincts and newer teenager desperation, Nick flung the covers over his head and curled up. His form being much smaller and localized away from the main area of the bed, he did what anyone who has ever tried to pretend to be a pile of laundry in their lives have done. He held his breath and silently tried to will the other mammal away.

"Hmm. I could have sworn I heard her in here." A pair of shuffling feet entered the room making Nick huff quietly.  _So much for that._  The humming of Judy's mother was currently the most frightening thing Nick had ever heard in his life. "Oh, she's already in the shower," he heard her mumble to herself as she noticed the bathing essentials bag missing from it's spot on the wall.

Hearing the humming start up again, Nick took a big risk and peaked out from underneath the covers. Bonnie was occupied with putting away a few articles of clothing so he was able to get away with a few breaths of cooler air. Curling up under the dark covers was enjoyable for the normally nocturnal mammal, but that didn't stop him from preferring cool breaths. A sudden thought had his eyes widening and flicking towards the other side of the room where his discarded clothes still remained where he had left them the night before.  _Oh hell._

The older doe in front of him suddenly straightened and looked toward the bed. For a petrifying moment, Nick thought the two had locked eyes before hers, a paler violet compared to those of the bunny he loved, moved on in a wide sweep of the bed. He had to remind himself that he was still shrouded in near darkness and a rabbit's eyes weren't sharp enough to see inside his temporary den.

Bonnie let out a heavy sigh. "Oh my little girl. What am I going to do with you?" she said wistfully while looking at her daughter's bed. "Nearly eighteen and yet to experience the joys of a bed-mate."

Nick frowned at that. He knew that Judy did not have any prior sexual experience, neither did he for that matter, but he never imagined that a parent would actually  _wish_  that their child would participate in at least a dalliance.

 _Then again bunny culture is very different than vulpine,_ he mused to himself while keeping his breathing soft and steady to avoid being noticed by extremely sensitive ears.  _Rabbits are definitely more open concerning sex. Still odd her parents are so interested though. At least her mother anyways._ Having been told some of the more descriptive stories of Judy's dad chasing boys from the house, he knew that the older buck probably did not quite support his wife's free-flowing attitude.

For a fleeting moment, the ridiculous idea of flinging back the covers to reveal that Judy did indeed have a boyfriend was tempting. Only the fear of being beaten senseless by a dozen or more of Judy's brothers or being knocked out by Bonnie herself kept him hidden. Eventually she finished her task and moved on from the room. "At least it smells clean in here," she muttered. Nick didn't dare even move until the door had latched firmly shut. Once it had though, he immediately flung off the heavy blanket and took several deep breaths of the much cooler air. He didn't understand how, but the matron doe's eyes never tracked over his clothes.

He had just begun to relax when the doorknob turned again. His muscles tightened as he leapt for the covers he had just kicked away, but he knew they were too far and he was much too slow to hide himself before the door opened. Because of his lunge, the tod ended up off-balance and found himself partially hanging off the bed with the top of his head brushing the floor beneath it. Resigned to his fate, he faced the mammal entering the room head-on, ready to face them even upside-down.

"What on earth?!" There was a few things Judy had expected to see waiting to greet her, but her half-naked boyfriend upside-down, wrapped up in the blanket so tight he was unable to move was not one of them. Still wrapped in her towel, she placed both paws on her hips and smirked at the trapped fox. "I just can't leave you alone anywhere."

* * *

The day had been surprisingly mellow compared to the close call from that morning. Both Nick and Judy made it through their classes without Sharla even raising a peep about the two of them, though that was partially due to Gideon mentioning her blouse and skirt looked 'pretty' when they ran into each other at the lockers which left her flustered all morning.

Nick had taken advantage of their friend's distracted state a few times to allow his tail to occasionally swipe against Judy's legs in class. It was the closest he could come to taking her paw but while the contact was less, the meaning was quite more. Something Judy had come to learn about foxes and their tails over the past few months. She was extremely lucky nobody had noticed her reddened ears.

All too soon was the school day over. And while that meant there was less time until they would be together again, neither had that thought on their minds. Instead Judy was finding herself solely focused on her track meet that was set to begin in a few minutes. It was the first of the season and she was set to compete in the two hundred meter sprint, the fifteen hundred mid-run, and the three-mammal relay.

While the rest of her teammates seemed slightly nervous, all Judy could feel was a surge of excitement. After months of keeping herself primed, hundreds of hours spent running around the track and racing through the woods, she was finally getting to compete.

"Ugh! I knew I shouldn't have had that bean sprout burrito for lunch." Judy couldn't stop the grin appearing on her lips when she turned to see Sharla beginning her stretches.

"I told you, didn't I? Flour tortillas a couple hours before running is not exactly a winning strategy." Judy's ears flopped a little while shaking her head at the sheep.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It just looked so  _good._ " Sharla rubbed a hoof over her stomach, grimacing before stepping back and doing several hurdle springs in place. "I'll have to live with it. Go 'til I puke and then move onto the next event."

"I'd say 'that's the spirit' but honestly, Shar, that's just nasty." The two exchanged a quiet giggle before getting back into their stretching.

"Oh how delightful." The two turned to see a golden furred doe outfitted in running gear standing nearby with a haughty expression. Two other does flanked her also wearing tanks and shorts in the Podunk colors. "Look girls, on today's menu is Officer Loony and her tag-a-long partner, Wooly Mammoth. I wonder if her thighs will jiggle when she runs." Both of the does snickered at their leader's quip.

Judy felt her face flush in anger. She could not care less what other mammals thought of her dream, but she would be damned if she was going to sit back and let her friend be insulted. Before she could make a move however, Sharla grinned mischievously.

"Oh gosh. Becky O'Hare is that you?! Look Judy, it's Becky! Wow. I almost didn't recognize you. Somethings different about you. Hmmm…" Placing her hoof against her lip, she tapped it thoughtfully before snapping her digits. "That's it! Your legs aren't up in the air and spread for anyone willing to wait five seconds for you to ditch your panties."

Becky's jaw dropped in shock. Her friends however couldn't cover their mouths fast enough to stifle their laughter. Loyalty did not run very far in their circle apparently. Her eyes narrowing and face turning beet red, Becky flipped her ears back and stalked off. Her two friends followed while still keeping their paws clasped over their lips.

Judy and Sharla were both guffawing as they headed down to the track for their first event. "God that felt good." The black sheep couldn't help herself and let out a loud 'whoop' in excitement. Judy chuckled alongside her friend. It may have been a bit crass for her to utter, but that didn't stop her from enjoying the moment immensely. Becky O'Hare had been a thorn in her side for the past three years and seeing her get a small comeuppance for her nasty behavior over the years was rather thrilling. With a clap to her friend's back, Judy took her place on the lane.

When gray knuckles found themselves against the asphalt, legs bent and feet on the starting block, was the moment when Judy's body began to change. Her focus on her own body was so strong that her breaths drowned out even the loudest spectators. Only the pounding of her own heartbeat rang in her ears. Taut muscles twitched with anticipation while she tried desperately to reign her urges in. It was as if she was a coiled spring that was ready to launch at a moment's notice.

She only vaguely noted Sharla to her right, the black sheep further ahead up the track with her hooves also on starting blocks. Due to her being a fellow teammate, Judy would make sure not to interfere with the ewe's running path. However she was there to win, both for herself and her team. To her left and slightly behind was Becky, the arrogant doe already giving Judy a smug look. If anything Judy wanted to beat her the most, not only just as a competitor, but also for insulting her and her team.

As the referee stepped to the line, he gave the command to set themselves. Each mammal did, pressing their hind foot hard against the block. Spaced along the track were sets of speakers lined up every ten yards and every ear from the runners were turned towards it. A fraction of a second later a high ' _beep_ ' echoed from them, signaling the start of the race.

Adrenaline surged along the small rabbit's body making Judy's hind paws propel her forward. Such was her determination and focus that she barely noticed the mammals falling in beside her and soon falling behind. Heart pounding and her large feet thumping the track, Judy soared ahead of the pack, though it was only a marginal lead.

 _Two-hundred meters. Two-hundred, that's all I need. Left, right, left, right. C'mon Judy, you can do this._ A slight change in the sounds around her nearly caused her to turn and look back. Judging by the slight huff and the sound of feet near the same size as hers, she assumed it was her main competition, O'Hare that was coming up on her inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of golden fur that confirmed her suspicions.

On the other side she could just hear the clopping sound of light hooves, her friend keeping pace. What she was not prepared for was the slight gasp that came from the right. "Judy! Nick is watching you! Like looking  _RIGHT AT YOU!"_

Judy felt a surge of joy at hearing that her fox was there supporting her, even though she had a feeling it was a silent celebration. However she could not afford the distraction, nor could she allow her teammate to be either. "Sharla get your puffy head focused! Deerbrooke is coming up behind us fast!"

"But-but-but-" the ewe stammered. She was almost certain that what she saw meant something but she had very little time to dwell on it as another sight, this time to her left, caught her attention. "Judy! Podunk!"

A slight turn of her head had Judy seeing a determined look in a very smug doe's gaze. The bunny was moving up on her left and starting to pull even.  _Oh no you don't,_  she thought while narrowing her eyes.  _Okay Officer Hopps. Perp at twelve o'clock!_ Her mind conjured an image of a crook, which strangely had the appearance of her brother Jimmy. Focusing on that sight, she gave the imaginary figure a leap into action and her speed nearly doubled in the last few seconds to give chase. She easily outstripped the doe from Podunk and crossed the finish line in first place to exuberant cheers from her team on the sidelines.

Nick was finding it difficult to balance being supportive while also keeping his distance to avoid revealing their relationship and also to provide Judy time to mentally prepare for the competition. He knew how important it was to her and so while he could not outwardly show his pride in her, he made sure to find a spot where he could get a perfect vantage point as well as a small amount of privacy in case he indulged in a bit of non-verbal cheering.

At one point he was pretty sure that a certain sheep had noticed him watching his bunny in the race but thankfully it was short. She had been distracted by a second rabbit moving upward in the field and pushed herself to finish in third. Seeing Judy cross the finish line in the lead had him pumping his fist in triumph. A couple of Hopps siblings saw the fox but knowing the rivalry between him and their sister chalked it up to school spirit rather than any celebration for her.

If they had waited a few seconds more before turning away, the pair of bucks would have seen their sister turn directly towards where Nick was standing and freeze for a few seconds. And if Sharla was not busy talking to their coach she would have seen a light blush travel up the inside of her ears. And if anyone had looked toward Nick, they would have seen his lips form three words that made the doe's heart melt. 'I love you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: The Hopps family being very open about sex is a fair constant in the fandom, however I have rarely used it myself. Mainly just made Bonnie more understanding than Stu (I guess because of his movie attitude but also because I am a father myself so I understand the 'protective dad' deal). So I decided to explore that aspect. And boy was that fun. For those who recognize any aspects of Bonnie's character I wrote, she's a mix of the mother from 'Meet the Fockers' and Dharma's mother from 'Dharma and Greg'. I'm totally keeping her around.


	13. A mother nose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, I know I said I would have a chapter of Never Mess with a Fox or Fighting True Savagery out before another Rivals, but this one was just brimming with fun ideas and I couldn't help myself! For those all saying they are lucky beyond belief? Well, turns out they can't hide everything.
> 
> Disclaimer: Looking at apartments to rent in Florida. Apartments within digging distance to the Disney Vault. Those two things are NOT connected!

_Retired life sucks._

It had become the vixen's mantra for the past year, ever since Vivienne and her husband had decided to uproot from Zootopia and move out to the Burrows. It was not an ideal decision for her but unfortunately that didn't truly sink in until they were moved in and settled.

Her husband worked as a supervisor at a large food distribution facility that supplied produce to more than half of all stores throughout Zootopia. His work had been very important to him but also very demanding. While speciesm towards foxes had declined in recent years, being nowhere near as bad as in his father's time, he was still not treated as fairly as his coworkers. He worked long hours for less pay than other supervisors, always with an excuse about 'seniority' despite having been with the company for fifteen years.

When the owner had called him into his office one day, he was sure it meant he was being sacked and he prepared himself for those words coming from the small arctic shrew. Instead, the owner Mr. Big, a name most made jokes about considering the mammal's size, apologized to the tod for not knowing how he had been treated during his employment there, something John Wilde really couldn't fault him for since the Big family owned many corporations. He praised the tod for his hard work ethic and for handling his situation with dignity and grace. He gave John an opportunity to become the General Manager of the harvest facility in Bunnyburrow.

The shrew explained how the old GM, a wizened old goat, had finally retired after years on the job and that John was considered for the position. The fox was ecstatic but held back on accepting the position, asking for a day to speak to his wife about it. Mr. Big agreed readily, knowing how important such a change would be to his family.

Vivienne had been just as excited as her husband when he revealed the news about his new job offer. He had still felt guilty asking that of his wife since her teaching job was at Zootopia University and the likelihood of getting a position at the Tri-Burrow college was minimal at best but she reassured him that even if she did not find another teaching job that it would be okay. She had been looking into taking a sabbatical and this would give her an opportunity to delve into some of her own passions for a time. The added bonus of raising their son Nicholas in a more 'accepting' environment was the deciding factor and with no relationship tying him to the city and his best friend moving away, Nick had readily agreed to move.

Vivienne had become bored almost immediately. Her 'passions' for gardening dried up after a few weeks as did her painting, her writing, and her volunteer work at the PTA. There just wasn't a call for a professor of ancient mammalian culture in the Tri-Burrows. Lately sculpting had kept her intrigued but one could only do so much when the inspiration hit a wall.

So on a Sunday morning, with her husband and son out fishing, the vixen found herself walking to the farmer's stand. Since there were dozens in the Burrows she had her pick, but there was one that always delivered the best produce she had been able to find and, while a slightly further distance for her to travel, was well worth the extra time.

Normally at this time of day, especially on the weekend, Vivienne would expect to see the Hopps's stand packed with mammals waiting impatiently for their turn at the counter. Instead she saw only one doe and her young child thanking the bunny behind the counter and heading off with a bag of carrots and squash. Vivienne and the mother doe exchanged smiles and a nod before passing each other heading their opposite ways.

Approaching the counter, the vixen was surprised to see only one rabbit working the stand as it normally took a half dozen to keep it running efficiently. Wearing a pink plaid shirt and wide-brimmed hat made her look comfy enough but the droopy black-tipped ears and bored expression told her the doe was feeling much the same way she herself was. "Slow day?" she asked, gaining the bunny's attention.

"Oh!" the doe cried out, only just then noticing the mammal stopped in front of the stand. "I'm so sorry. Can I help you Mrs. Wilde?"

Vivienne smiled down at the flustered bunny, noting the pink tinge on the inside of her ears. "It's not a problem, dear. I can tell you are a bit preoccupied." Judy let out a scoff as she looked around at the empty road nearby and then at the overflowing baskets of produce still standing before turning her raised brow to the vixen. "I meant up here, Judy," as she tapped her own head.

"Yeah I guess s-… Wait. You know my name?" Judy was a bit dumbfounded by that. She had served Vivienne Wilde at the stand on many occasions but not once did she think the vixen had learned who she was.

"Of course I do, Judy. You know mine after all, why shouldn't I know yours?"

Judy didn't really expect that sort of an answer but she decided to humor the older mammal. "Well that's easy. Even if I hadn't had sold you stuff you in the past, there are only three fox families in the Burrows. I know Mrs. Grey and you aren't her. Mrs. Winter is a gray fox and about seventy years old, so deduction would clearly tell me you are Mrs. Wilde.  _I_ have nearly three hundred siblings and it took me years to learn everyone's name."

Vivienne retained her smile, enjoying the discussion with the young doe. "Ah yes. But you have a very distinct feature that helps identify you, even if you hadn't have sold me your family's produce before." She leaned in conspiratorially as Judy tilted her head in confusion. "It's the ears," she whispered dramatically. "They're part fox you know."

"Ohhh," Judy whispered back, getting what the vixen was talking about. Very few bunnies developed coloring on the tips of their ears like she did. The black bore a striking resemblance to Vivienne's own ears which caused the doe to pause momentarily as she realized it also matched with Nick's.

"Not to mention your scent is unique," Vivienne said, taking an audible whiff. Normally sniffing other mammals was considered intrusive, especially if doing it secretively. However there were occasions like Mrs. Wilde had just done, in that case a demonstration, that was allowed. "I could easily pick you out of your-…entire…warren…" The vixen's words trailed off as her brow furrowed in confusion. Judy, who was still examining her ears, paid little attention to what the fox had been saying and didn't notice the strange look that came over her face.

_That smell._

There was something odd happening in the back of Vivienne's mind. Not that the bunny's scent was odd, but that it was triggering something she must consider important. For the life of her however it stayed out of reach. The thought flitted around her mind always escaping her grasp. Eventually the vixen had to admit to herself that she wasn't going to be able to figure it out right then and decided she would ponder on it another time.

Judy had just finished examining her ears when she noticed the look of concentration on Mrs. Wilde's face. It was certainly something to behold as she noted the same wrinkle at the top of her muzzle that Nick also got whenever he was the same way, though the young Tod's eyes became a bit unfocused whereas Vivienne's sharp eyes remained so, boring intensely into the rabbit making her shudder reflexively.

Vivienne snapped out of he thoughts to see the doe looking at her, part concerned and part curious, and decided a change of topic might be a good idea. "So Judy. Boring Sunday morning at the slow stand. Supposed to rain later so I'm guessing there won't be much in the way of outdoor fun. Almost makes you wish it was a school day, huh?"

Judy shook her head letting her droopy ears flop around a bit. "I would be lying if I said I'd rather be out here than solving complex math equations. At least then my brain would be occupied by _something_."

"Hmm," Mrs. Wilde thought for a moment. "Why not ask your boyfriend to come hang out with you? The quiet time would be a good chance to talk or just snuggle. I know you bunnies are very affectionate."

Judy blushed heavily, something that made Vivienne want to coo with how cute it made her look. "I um…I don't have a boyfriend. Not that I don't like boys! Cause I do! I'm not into girls, but there's nothing wrong with that either! I mean my sister-oh god I wasn't supposed to say anything, please don't tell her I said anything!"

The vixen's head eventually stopped spinning and she would be lying if she said she understood all of the words Judy had spouted off, but she did her best to reassure the young kit that she would not tell anyone about Judy's little slip. Which would be easy enough since she didn't even know which of her one hundred and fifty sisters she meant.

"So how about you? Slow Sunday or do you always walk a few miles just for some carrots and lettuce?" The words would normally seem harsh but with Judy's light and chipper tone, Vivienne knew it was just silly banter. It reminded her of her son actually.

"I'm afraid I've been a bit lonely this morning. My John took our Nicholas out fishing and they won't be back until this afternoon." Judy's ears perked a bit at that which seemed slightly out of character to Mrs. Wilde but she brushed it off. "I figured I might as well pick up some produce and your family grows the best. Also it gave me a bit of a workout so that's another thing off my list."

After purchasing the food she had come for, including a large bushel of blueberries for her two boys at home, she thanked the doe and headed off towards home. Judy, her short bit of a distraction over, slumped back onto a nearby crate and plopped her head into her paw. Vivienne wished there was something she could do for the bunny but chatting with teenagers for hours was just not something she was well versed in doing. At least not outside of her classroom.

Turning back towards home, the vixen put her foot into a small puddle. It was not large or very deep and she guessed that since they were directly next to a crop field it was most likely just some cast-off. However, when she raised her hind paw out and went to shake it dry, she saw a small clump of mud sticking between her claws.  _Ugh. Mud. I'm going to need a shower to clean that o-_

Her thought process halted so suddenly she was surprised her face did not go slack. The same odd sensation from before entered her mind. A thought that this time didn't fade away so quickly. Something to do with her son and the time he had come home covered in mud. Her eyes widened quickly and she felt her jaw clench tight in shock. Whipping her head around, she stared hard at the doe who was now burying her eyes in a book. Vivienne gave the air a quiet sniff and caught the girl's scent once again. This time it wasn't a fleeting recollection. She knew exactly where she had come across that particular scent before. On her son, the morning he had 'fallen asleep' in the woods. With as much mud and pond water Nick had been covered in, only a strong smell would have been able to power through it. One that did not just happen by a casual meeting or brushing shoulders.

"No boyfriend, hmm?" A wry smile crept over the vixen's lips. "Let's just see what Nicholas has to say about that."

* * *

It took her boys until nearly dinnertime to arrive back at the house. With all of her chores done by noon, Vivienne had been impatiently waiting their return. Trying to fill the time with some of her hobbies had resulted in two crushed clay sculptures she felt were failures, a torn paper from her easel that she had stuffed deep into the trash, and a distracted bout of weeding the garden which accidentally included her petunias. Suffice it to say she was rather miffed with her husband for keeping them out so late, especially as he hadn't thought to turn on his phone and call to tell her.

The minute they had driven into the yard she had strode outside and in a sickly sweet voice told her husband that he would be allowed into the house once all of the fish had been cleaned and ready to be grilled for dinner. Smartly all John said in return was a murmured 'yes dear' and with a sheepish grin had taken the cooler towards a nearby stream.

Nick on the other hand had been instructed to follow his mother to the kitchen and was immediately put to work peeling the potatoes over the sink. It was a rather boring task but he preferred it over having to help his father. He might enjoy fish when it was cooked, but handling the dead things and gutting them tended to make his appetite vanish.

"So," started his mother at the table where she was busy shucking the corn she had bought earlier that morning. "How did it go? I noticed you boys got back late."

Nick smiled brightly while putting his paws to work. "It actually went great. I wasn't a fan of dad dragging out the canoe for obvious reasons," Vivienne hid a smile at that remembering the time Nick toppled out of the canoe on their camping trip a few years back, "but the lake was pretty calm so it wasn't too bad. I even stayed in the whole time."

"Mmhmm. I see you aren't soaked so that's a good thing. How many did you catch?" she asked while continuing to peel off several more corn husks. She was always very thorough with getting every strand of corn silk off the cobs since they tended to get stuck in her back teeth. It was hard enough enjoying corn with their front canines making chewing difficult.

"I got five trout!" Nick exclaimed happily, turning away from the kitchen sink with a broad smile. "Dad caught another one and a couple of white perch which obviously we tossed back," he added with a grimace. White perch were not exactly the tastiest fish they could have caught and they made an awful mess when trying to clean them.

"That's good. I'll make sure to tease your father about his son surpassing him as the fishermammal in the house." Nick grinned at that and turned back to his task.

"How did your day go? I noticed the missing flowers in the front there so I'm guessing not fantastic?" He knew her time in the Burrows was not exactly something she was enjoying since there really was nowhere to teach. He had not truly understood the depth of it though until their first summer there. He felt ashamed that he had given it so little thought the whole previous school year.

"Oh it wasn't all that bad," the vixen remarked. "The afternoon was kind of dry but I managed to get into town and take care of those pesky errands I've been meaning to do. I sent off your aunt Marian's birthday present finally."

"About time," Nick laughed. "Her birthday was two weeks ago."

"So sue me," his mother joked. "She knows me well enough to not expect things on time. Heck, half my students mid-terms weren't graded until after the next semester had started."

"Not exactly something to be proud of, mom," the young tod rolled he eyes at his mother and flashed her a smirk.

"Yes, yes. I know. Had the Dean up my ass half the time about it." Gathering up the corn she moved over to the stove and placed them in a pot of water she had slowly been boiling. Standing right next to her son, she purposefully took her time deciding that now was a good time for her to implement her plan. She had been stewing over it for hours trying to figure out why he would be keeping his relationship a secret. She wondered if he thought they wouldn't accept him because of it.

"Made it out the farmers stands. Got a good bushel of apples from the Hendersons and those potatoes are directly from the Grey's farm. You know their son Gideon, right? He's the one who's been over a few times?"

Nick nodded out of habit. "He's the only other fox tod in town so I hope I invited the right kit over," he added with a chuckle.

"Right, right. My bad." She pulled over a cutting board and picked up her chef's knife before grabbing a pawful of celery and dicing them thinly. "Got practically a bush worth of blueberries from the Hopps's." She could hear her son smacking his lips together at the idea of one of his favorite snacks being in the house already.  _Here it goes._ "I ran into their daughter at the stand. You know Judy don't you?"

A slip and a clatter rang out from inside the sink as Nick fumbled both the potato and the peeler. Vivienne smirked at how just the mention of her name was enough to rattle him. He coughed roughly and tried to compose himself before answering. "Judy Hopps? Yeah I know her. She's the bunny I have mentioned before. The one trying to compete with me in grades."

"Oh yes, I remember. Poor thing. She was all alone at the stand and barely anyone was coming by. Must have been so boring to be stuck there all day." She slid the celery into a large bowl and pulled some carrots into their place to begin chopping. "I asked her why her boyfriend didn't stop by to keep her company," she felt Nick stiffen next to her and inwardly grinned at the way his tail straightened and the fur standing on end. "You know what she told me?"

Nick tried to seem nonchalant but it was in vain as his next words trembled slightly. "No. What?"

"She said she did not even have a boyfriend. Can you believe that? Such a sweet young doe like herself. And those black tips on her ears are just so fetching. She must drive all the boys crazy at school. She must be waiting for someone special to come along and sweep her up." Out of the corner of her eye she made note of the quick jerk of his head in a nod.  _Phase two._ "What about you, Nicholas?"

"Huh?! What do you mean about me?" His tone was almost panicky while wide eyes fixed upon hers.

"A girlfriend. Do you have one? I noticed you haven't brought a girl over since we moved here so maybe it's a secret one?" she smirked while nudging him.

"Uh, no. No definitely not."  _You are such a bad liar, Nicholas._ "There's not many vixens as you can see," he gave a chuckle. "Like zero."

"I see." She slowly chopped the carrots splitting the circles into half-moon shapes.  _Phase three._ "You know, there are a lot of  _other_  mammals out there besides just vixens." Once more the clattering of the peeler rang out from the sink's deep walls. "And don't take it the wrong way, honey. If you only like vixens that's perfectly fine. I just know that it must be lonely not having someone to call your own. Your father and I would be thrilled for you to find someone no matter who or eve  _what_  they are. Just as long as you are happy."

Nick cleared his throat and paused for a few moments, taking in everything his mother had just said. "So you guys would be okay if I was dating, say, that bobcat from Zootopia?"

"Bobcat, sheep, mink, goat, deer." She waited a few extra milliseconds before adding "bunny." This time Nick caught hold of the peeler before it tumbled from his paw but the potato slipped and gave him away.

"A bunny, huh?" He chuckled nervously. "That would certainly be an odd pairing."

Vivienne finished cutting the carrots and slid them into the bowl with the celery. "Oh I don't know. I'm sure there are plenty of bunnies into foxes and vice versa." Turning, she placed a paw on his shoulder and brought him to face her. "Whoever you decide, no matter if they are a vixen or a  _bunny_ ," she placed great emphasis on the last word making sure she was keeping eye contact, "your father and I just want you to be happy."

"Thanks mom." Nick's voice came in very quietly. The two worked for a few minutes more before Nick had finished with the peeling and set the last potato aside to be boiled. He had almost left before a thought occurred to him. "Hey mom. Why didn't you bring up males? What if I told you I was into tods instead?"

"Oh please," Vivienne said with a laugh. "I found those magazines you had under your mattress when you were sixteen."

The young fox blanched a bit. "…Ah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: So with one mother catching on, how long do you think the other one will take?


	14. There's suspecting and there's knowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The response to this story is incredible. I'm thrilled you all are enjoying it so much. I hope this chapter keeps it that way for you all.
> 
> Disclaimer: When I need to be sly on the go, Nick appears on my dashboard. And when I need to break a few rules of the road to get where I'm headed, Duke goes up instead. And when the blue lights flash behind me, thats when Bogo gets up there and glares at me. These little figurines rock! Oh. Dawn's for road rage.

Of the ancient mammals their species had evolved from, foxes retained possession of multiple abilities and traits that their ancestors had relied upon to survive. A heightened sense of smell allowed the smaller canines to seek out prey and avoid a run-in with larger predators. An apt description as Nick was currently sneaking along the upstairs hallway on his way to find his own prey girlfriend nestled in and waiting for him on the other side of the forest.

The problem was in those 'larger predators' known to him as Mom and Dad. While at seventeen he was already taller than his mom and just about the same height as his dad, as his parents they always seemed larger. And just as he had a stronger nose than most other mammals, they both came equipped with them as well. And as part of a nocturnal species, light sleeping habits at night was a common occurrence. To avoid being detected by his parents noses, Nick had turned on all of the hallway fans to stir up any scents that might give him away.

Keeping the house dark allowed the young tod to utilize another evolutionary throwback trait. Since most foxes tended to be active once the sun went down, they had developed night vision in order to hunt their prey in the evenings. Nick now used that same ability to avoid knocking into any loose objects set in the hall and especially near his parent's bedroom.

Unnerved by his mother's suspicions, Nick had waited longer than normal before setting out for the night. He still wasn't sure what had tipped her off though. Running into Judy at the stand wasn't enough of an occurrence for even his brilliant mother to deduce anything about their relationship. Judy was far too smart to give something away and she would have discussed it with him before revealing anything to their parents.

Reaching the stairwell landing he glared down at the offending planks of wood before him. He had learned early on in his nighttime excursions that several of the boards were slightly warped. During the day the resulting squeak of wood was barely noticeable. However, when the parents went to sleep and the house stilled, that unnoticeable squeak sounded like a flock of ducks parading around the second story. Approaching the banister he hoisted himself up and over, plummeting ten feet to the ground level.

Counting on his paw pads to absorb some of the shock, Nick bent his knees and fell to all fours. His nearly silent landing escaped his parents notice, however experience had taught him to be wary of his surroundings. Leaning back to under the stairwell, he reached and deftly caught a vase his mother kept on one of the bookshelves. It may have been a silent landing but the vibration was just enough to rattle the case just as it had done every night he had pulled that little maneuver.

Placing the vase back on the shelf, Nick straightened upright and began slowly stalking towards the back door. From where he had landed it was only a dozen or so steps compared to a much longer trip to the front entrance. Letting his foot pads carry him silently across the kitchen's hardwood flooring he placed his paw softly on the slightly loose handle of the inner door. It jiggled under the pressure but the rattle thankfully was muffled. It took great care for him to be quiet but his biggest challenge was still to come. Cracking open the back door and swinging it wide was not the problem, even with the loose metal threatening to clang about. It was the rusty hinges of the screen door in his way that would have been his undoing if he had not become so used to applying the necessary pressure at just the right areas over the past few months.

Once he had slipped past the house's passive wards and re-secured the door latches he was off into the night, becoming part of the darkness his kind used to hunt and live in. A few pale glimpses of the moon shining through the tops of the trees was his only light but with his eyes shining and nose leading the way he felt only exuberance.

* * *

Leaving the shrouded forest edge and making his way across the vast Hopps grounds had never been an issue. There was no sneakiness involved, nor any kind of deceptive tactic to evade notice. It was simply that the time of night he would come to visit his bunny was well past when most of the other rabbits in the burrow were in bed. A few times he had needed to hunker down into a crop or duck behind a tree to avoid the random mammal sneaking out of the house, but those instances were rare and never posed a problem for him. Rabbit ears were very sensitive but if he held still in one place they were effectively useless in noticing him. Not to mention that their eyes and ears would never truly settle on him in the first place. The darkness tended to bring out a lot of anxiety in bunnies so any does or bucks leaving after curfew were usually hasty to get from point A to point B and didn't  _want_  to see anything out of the ordinary.

Those were not for him to worry about that night. After all of his trips to visit Judy he had never once seen anyone sneaking out on a Sunday night. Rebellious teenagers they may be but they all still held enough fear of mom and dad to make sure they didn't oversleep on a Monday morning.

Lazily loping across the yard like the predator he was, Nick moved with a calm purpose. The path was so familiar to him that even if he had not been focused on his objective, his muscles would have taken him there anyways.

Once his sweeping eyes had given up their perimeter watch, Nick let the guard walls fall and he hurried forward without care if anyone saw him do it. It took only twenty strides and merely a few seconds, yet at the same time it felt to him like miles and days to cross the yard.

Staying just outside of the light pouring through her window, Nick crouched down on all fours and peered into Judy's room checking for any mammals besides the one he was looking for. It wouldn't do either of them any good for him to suddenly roll through the window and land at the feet of a shocked brother or sister, and especially not her father. Stu Hopps was known by all of the county as a very generous and softhearted individual. He never met someone he didn't feel deserved second chance. He was also known by reputation to use any of his many pointy farming tools to chase young boys from his daughters rooms. He didn't agree with his sons having company over either but he left that to their mother. Nick wasn't quite sure what kind of reception a fox would get being caught in the burrow but he for damned sure knew he didn't need any holes in his tail.

Seeing only a pair of long gray ears tipped fetchingly with black, Nick knew it was safe to approach. Though he was already smiling, the sight of Judy and how she was seated facing away from him at her desk turned the smile into a mischievous grin.  _A little sneaking before pouncing. My favorite._

Slowly the fox creeped forward, hind and forepaws touching the ground as lightly as possible so as not to give away any sound. He knew from experience that her hearing was practically legendary and that any false step would alert her immediately to his presence. His next objective would probably be the hardest. The window into Judy's and pretty much every other ground floor room was designed in such a way that it had to be unlatched from the inside in order to be opened. When the doe would head out at night she left a paperclip wedged into the latch area to prevent it from closing, but Nick did not have it that easy.

 _I wonder if Finnick would be proud of me or laugh at my stupidity for this,_ Nick thought while pulling a small nylon pouch from his back pocket. Flipping it open, the fox let his gaze rove over several slim hooked tip picks and flat pieces of metal. Early on before their fantastical fail of a life of 'petty crime', Nick and his fennec friend had learned how to pick locks. None of it was ever intended to be used to commit actual crimes, but they had been fascinated by movies and tv shows that glorified how the 'bad guys' and sometimes vigilantes and rogue agents would gain entry to places. Lock picking had seemed like a challenge worth learning and so the two had practiced for weeks until they finally had 'mastered the art' as they liked to brag, which in reality was just learning the basics.  _Finally using those skills, Fin. Yes it's to get into my girlfriend's window so I can jump-scare her but it's the principle that counts._

It took a little more effort than he had expected, having to switch through several tools before finding the right flat pick that would be able to push the latch out of the way. For a moment he thought his attempt had been noticed on one particular clumsy swap, the two metal tools sliding against one another. Judy's right ear tip had twitched forcing Nick to go still as possible but her scribbling never hesitated.  _Homework. My one ally in this situation._

Cracking the window open as softly as he could, he pressed on the right side forcing it to the wall. The left side tended to scrape on the frame so shifting the window usually prevented that from happening. Once it had cleared without touching the edges the rest of the window swung open without a sound.

Deftly snaking his limbs into the opening, Nick slowly lowered himself down to the bed, making sure to place his hind paws into the puffy comforter at the foot of the bed and also put most of his weight on the frame. He had gotten so far without being noticed that a spring giving him away would be tragic. Glancing down to reposition his paw, he took in a silent breath of relief that nothing had been disturbed. And when he looked up and found his eyes within inches of two bright and beaming amethyst ones, he nearly had a heart attack.

"Gyah!"

Nick slapped two paws over his own muzzle as if to somehow take back the yelp that had slipped past his lips. He had gone so far being completely unnoticed yet in two seconds time it was all undone.

Judy though looked neither shocked nor bothered by his outburst. In fact she looked positively gleeful. "Sly you may be, my devilishly handsome fox. But not quite sneaky enough." Grasping the scruff of his cheeks she pulled him towards her and forcefully pressed her lips to his. It took a moment for his own shock to dissipate but when it finally did he found Judy had already taken his paws and settled them on her hips while her legs had straddled his to bring them closer together. It wasn't a new position for them to find themselves in but neither ever pushed the boundaries too far. Nick was still true to the traditions of his species and he knew Judy was graciously respectful of that. However he also knew that, even as reserved as Judy was, she was still a bunny, and closeness and intimacy were a part of her.

Judy had just begun to chitter with delight at the feel of the tod wrapping his arms around her when a loud knocking came at her door. The couple's lips broke apart but while Nick glanced hastily towards the door in a near panic, Judy continued to keep her eyes locked on his, uncaring of whoever was on the other side.

"Jude? Are you okay?" The sound of an older male's voice just beyond the door caused the fox to freeze momentarily before starting to rise up off the bed in an attempt to flee out the window. He made it all of a few inches before the same two small paws from before once again grabbed the scruff of his cheeks to hold him in place.

Never losing her smile, Judy shook her head at the vulpine, telling him in no uncertain terms was he to leave that spot beneath her. "Yeah dad," she almost giggled at the way Nick's eyes widened in fear. "It was just a spider." Placing a digit to the center of Nick's forehead she pushed hard causing him to tip backward and land with his head on her pillow. Moving her body up his until her legs were now over his chest, the gray doe leaned down and kissed her boyfriend again.

"Um, alright. But you aren't scared of spiders, Jude." The locked doorknob rattled a bit which made Nick jump slightly but Judy seemed unfazed and pulled her lips off his for a moment.

"Would you like it if a large arachnid dropped down and landed on your ear?" The doorknob stopped rattling immediately and Nick could pick up the faint sound of two paws stepping away from the door. Judy simply smirked down at the fox and waited for a moment.

"Uh, no. No, nope, definitely not. You um, you have a good night Jude and I will see you at breakfast. Night!" This time the steps were a bit more frantic with a scurrying rhythm to them.

"Dad's deathly afraid of spiders. Makes it hard to harvest the tomatoes so he usually makes me and some of the other 'braver' bunnies collect 'em," she noted with satisfaction. "Now the only sound I want to hear from you right now is a purr," she murmured, a low hint of desire in her voice.

* * *

A short time later the two mammals found themselves nestled under the covers, curled up in each others arms. Judy couldn't help but nuzzle into the Tod's soft chest fur. No matter how many times she ran her paw through it or brushed her cheek against him she could not quite believe how silky smooth his fur was.

"You were late tonight," Judy murmured. She did not truly care that much that he had been, but she could not help but tease the fox. Nick took great pride in being punctual which she always found amusing about a mammal that would sleep to the very last minute he could. "Visiting some other bunny?"

"Nah. Sharla invited me over and I guess we were making out too long." He laughed as Judy's ears and cheeks turned beet red before slugging him in the arm. "You know she's only got eyes for one fox just as I've got eyes only for you."

Judy's paws clasped together against her chest while cooing at the sentiment. She knew her fox could be charming but when he turned it on her it made her knees weak. If she hadn't been already laying down curled up against him, she would have knocked him down and nestled on his chest. "You are way too good at that, Wilde." Snuggling back against him, she nuzzled the top of her head under his chin sighing happily.

"I was actually late thanks to you." He looked down at her curious expression and flashed a small smirk. "I had to wait well past my parents heading to bed to make sure they were completely asleep."

"Why? Did something happen?" Her gray paw found itself twirling in the cream colored fur covering his chest. "They didn't find out about you sneaking out, did they?" It was one of their biggest worries that if one or the other got caught then their nighttime excursions would have to end.

"Well, let's see. I got home from fishing today, had a great time with my dad by the way," Judy smiled at that knowing how much time together with his father meant to her fox since his dad worked all too often, "only to come home to my mother and some very interesting questions."

"Oh I saw your mom this morning! She came by the stand. She actually mentioned something about inviting my boyfriend over to keep me company since I was so bored," she giggled. "I told her I didn't have one, don't worry."

"She didn't believe you."

Judy's giggle stopped short. "What?"

"She didn't believe you. She knows. I don't know how she knows but she  _does."_ Judy anxiously pulled at her ears, bringing them down in front of her body.

"I didn't tell her anything, Nick. I swear. She couldn't have gotten anything from what I sa-…"

It took Nick several seconds to realize Judy had just stopped speaking before he glanced down seeing her wiggling nose and frantic tweaking of her ear tips. "What is it, Fluff?"

"She sniffed me." She looked up at him and placed a strong paw on his shoulder. He winced at the tightness of her grip but was unwilling to try and throw her off, however he did snort in surprise. "I remember she had said something about my ears and then was talking about scents. And then she said that even if she didn't know me already that she could easily pick me out by  _my_ scent. And then that's when she sniffed me. And she looked shocked, too!" She exclaimed while gesturing animatedly. "That must be what it was. She must have smelled me on you at some point and only now pieced it together."

Nick, overwhelmed with Judy's rapid motions and lightning fast speech, let himself fall back onto the pillow, dragging the bunny with him. "Well. That definitely explains why she kept bringing up dating bunnies of all things."

"She did?" That last part helped surprisingly well towards the doe's anxiety. If his mother was fixating on him dating other mammals besides foxes, and especially bunnies, then surely she was accepting of them being together. "And what did you say?"

"Honestly I tried to get out of there. It got really awkward towards the end when she talked about finding my-…my umm…" Turning his head away he let the final words out as silently as possible, a mere murmur at best. "My magazine collection when I was sixteen."

Embarrassed by the admission, Nick had kept his voice low, however that was a useless tactic when next to a bunny who had trained their hearing for years to pick up sounds most overlooked. "Magazines, huh?" Judy giggled in delight at the way the insides of her fox's ears turned red. "What kind were you caught with? Ruttler? Ooooh, Bearly Legal? Ohhh I know. Playbunny. Maybe that's what clued your mom in." She shook with barely contained laughter while Nick turned redder with each title she called out. As a bunny with nearly three hundred siblings, she had stumbled across more than her share of adult magazines in the burrow. She preferred romance novels but that didn't mean she was completely naive.

"Actually it was…umm…VIXXXEN Mag. The one with the three X's." His face burned and he immediately put his muzzle into his paws to hide.

"Wow. That's supposed to be the really hot one, right?"

"Why on earth do you know about fox porn, Fluff?" His voice was still muffled as he refused to lift his head up.

"Well, I gotta do my research obviously. Gotta say, that whole 'knot' thing seems pretty interesting."

Nick groaned while slumping forward, completely and utterly mortified.

* * *

Needless to say Nick did not stay as long as he normally did each night. Not for the embarrassment his bunny had been causing with her constant teasing until they dozed, but because with his mother's suspicions and potential knowledge of their situation he could not afford to be caught coming in at all hours of the night or the time shortly before the break of dawn, otherwise he might as well bring Judy to his house for dinner and make out right at the table.

No, instead he kissed the half-asleep doe on her velvet soft cheek and slid out the window making sure to re-latch it as best he could. He moved quickly, utilizing all of his endurance his body had accumulated during his soccer training. While it was still too early for his parents to be awake, one never knew when a bout of insomnia or late night trip to the bathroom would pan out.

The silence of the woods did allow him to slip into a state of contemplation while letting his feet automatically carry him home. He found it odd that his mother would so blatantly draw a scent from Judy. Normally foxes and other canines kept to a strict code that prevented them from doing just that, besides law enforcement and education examples. Bears, who had a far more powerful sense of smell to where they could not block any of the world around them, just gave up and pretended that they couldn't smell anything.  _That had to have been it. Education. Once a teacher, always a teacher. Though scent education is something usually done in grade school, not to high school age teenagers who might be HIDING SOMETHING, mom!_

He was understandably distracted when he reached the steps of his home. That state of mind was the reason that his brain failed to process what was on the back porch where his entrance was waiting for him. That is, it failed to process until just as he was reaching for the screen door. Stopping just shy of the handle, he mentally smacked himself for nearly forgetting the squeak from the rusted hinges. Taking it slow, he gripped hold of the handle and turned it. Or tried to. It was locked.

He tried it a couple more times, not believing that the screen door was actually locked. He had made sure to keep it  _un_ locked so he could slip back in easily.  _Oh crap. One of them must have been in the kitchen and saw it._ As a family who did not believe in hide-away keys, his only hope would have been his keyring. Unfortunately for the tod, those were currently next to his wallet and cell phone on his bedside table.

Looking down at his feet in despair, Nick took several deep breaths. He hated what was about to come next but it was a necessity. Rounding the corner of the house until he was directly under his second-story window, the fox glared at the offending drain pipe. The metal pole ran up the full height of the house and finished at the gutters next to his room. It was not a new experience for him to use to get in and out of the house, but it was a detestable one.

 _God I hate this part._ Wrapping his paws around the steel, he gripped tightly and began to scale it. Climbing was not something canines liked to do and except for the rope in gym class or the occasional rock climbing his father would take him to, doing this sort of activity was something he loathed.  _As long as I live I hope I never have to climb pipes again. Heaven forbid I ever get stuck hauling something up one of these things._

Thankfully his arms and paws were rather strong and he made short work of his climb, otherwise he might have given up and simply slept on the ground and waited for morning. Getting into his room was easy since he always kept the window open for the light breeze. Just like every fox he liked a warm den he could curl up into, however he enjoyed the fresh, cool air to flow over his nose while he slept. Within moments the tod slumped into his bed, not bothering to check his phone for the time, just happy for any sleep he could get.

All too soon though he found himself waking up to the high-pitched chime of his alarm. Slapping blindly in the direction that it was coming from, the pad of his paw found itself pressing down on the key he had needed a few hours before. A shrill yelp came from the pile of crumpled blankets before they parted to show a wide-awake and rather ticked off fox. Narrowing his eyes, Nick pointed a claw towards the desk and gestured threateningly.

"You're on my list, keys. I don't know what list, but you're on it." Because he had been so tired after getting into his room, Nick had not noticed how the climb had affected him. Now though, the soreness in his shoulders was coming through loud and clear. Grunting as he stretched, Nick grumbled under his breath about 'cute bunnies dragging me out at night' and 'stupid parents locking the door.'

As much as he would have liked to hit the snooze and collapse back into bed for a extra twenty minutes, he had a math exam his first class in the morning. So after shaking the cobwebs away, Nick grabbed the first pair of clean smelling clothes he found and moved for an early shower to clear off any extra bunny smell the musk mask hadn't taken care of.

After an unfulfilling short time in the hot water, Nick dressed and gathered his wallet, keys, and phone, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed down to breakfast.

Finding his parents already at the table, Nick kept his gaze away from his mother, having a suspicion that he would find an all too familiar smile gracing her muzzle. Instead he wished them both a good morning and poured himself a bowl of cereal before occupying himself by pretending to examine a small crack in the tabletop.

For a few minutes it seemed that he was going to be able to eat and get to school without any more questions from his prying mother. Nobody was speaking to him, his parents engaging each other about his father's work and the projects his mother had planned.

"That's a nice shirt, Nicholas. Something special happening today?" Not expecting to have been brought into a conversation, Nick stared at his mother blankly before realizing what she had asked. Glancing down at his front, he noticed for the first time what he had thrown on. He wore his standard pair of khaki pants, something he had many pairs of. His shirt though was a bit more fancy than he typically wore. Instead of Pawaiin leaf patterns and bright colors, he had on a light blue polo, buttoned up but low enough some of his cream chest fur could still be seen poking above the collar.

"Oh. Umm, not really? I kind of just grabbed this from my drawer."

"Well it looks nice." Satisfied that the conversation was done, Nick scooped another spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

"I'm sure Judy will appreciate it."

Nick's cereal went spraying across the table while the tod gasped for breath, the milk having shot out through his nostrils making them burn. Coughing heavily he looked toward the voice that had shocked him. It wasn't his mother.

He met his father's overly cheerful gaze and was overcome with the desire to burrow somewhere deep. The blue eyes were crinkled with mischief but seemed to stare deep into him registering his ability to lie inert. It didn't mean he was going to simply not try however.

"Judy? Judy who? I have no idea what you are talking about." It was probably the lamest attempt he had ever made and was devoid of any clever remarks, a rarity for him.

"Long ears and a short tail. I wonder how that works. Although," his father had a pensive look come over his muzzle, " there's this one doe at work and that little puff of tail looks-" he stopped suddenly and looked over at his wife, -"completely uninteresting. I'm all about the long soft tail and that black tip look totally is it for me."

"Mom, you told him?!"

Vivienne took two fingers and made a 'I'm watching you' motion at her husband before turning to face her son. "Of course I did, Nicholas. And we are both so very happy for you. I was worried you wouldn't find someone here in the Burrows and I am so glad you did. Plus she is just a wonderful little bunny. Very good head on her shoulders." John nodded in agreement.

Nick, still embarrassed beyond belief, felt at least a little better at how both his mother and father seemed to approve of his relationship, though he still wanted it kept quiet. "You guys aren't…you won't tell anyone about this, right?"

His mother lifted her right paw and made an antiquated Ranger Scout salute. "I promise that not one student will ever hear it from my lips." Nick still looked a bit dubious but decided he was going to trust her. Kissing her on the cheek and giving his father a hug, Nick left the house at a run to make the bus on time.

* * *

Vivienne watched her son take off down the driveway while her husband headed into the other room to grab his briefcase. Quickly she snatched up her cell phone and punched in a number she knew but had never used before. It rang only a few times before being picked up, a large amount of noise in the background.

"Bonnie? Hi, it's Vivienne Wilde. I'm great, thank you. I apologize for calling so early and I know you have a lot going on, I just wanted to talk to you about something important. Oh I'm so glad it's not a problem. So, you know my son, Nicholas?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: Mothers. A powerful force by themselves. Unstoppable when together. And now both know.
> 
> I must make a sad announcement. I know I said it once before but updates for Rivals will be slow for a short while so I can finally catch up with my other stories. It's not gone! Just may be a few weeks out.


	15. How long does luck last?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my goodness. Are we really at chapter 15 already? Wow. This has been such a crazy ride, even for me. The amount of positive feedback has just been incredible. I know you all have been wondering, did Vivienne really call Judy's mother to blab? Will Sharla finally catch Judy making goo-goo eyes at the fox? Why does pressing down harder on the remote make the dead batteries work again? We need answers, world!
> 
> Quick notice: My space bar has been all messed up for days. I tried to go back and catch all the problems I found. I hope I got them all. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: If Goofy is a dog, and Pluto is a dog, then why is only Goofy wearing pants? *ding* Oh look, a new email from Disney!

Nearly six weeks had gone by since the beginning of the school year. Already they had reached the second week of October and the chill had begun sweeping across the Burrows. Though they were in the southern part of the country and the daytimes were still warm and comfortable, the nights tended to be a bit cool. There was an old adage in the Burrows about the winter which seemed strange but had a surprising amount of truth behind it. 'You can swim in a lake in January but you'll wish you were an arctic hare on a fall night.' Which is why Nick left the bunny's bed and headed for home with a grumble under his breath about girlfriends and stealing sweatshirts.

Judy meanwhile was smiling happily, wrapped up tight and cozy in Nick's 'Tundratown Icebergs' soccer sweater, something he had brought with him from the city. The warmth mixing with his scent had her falling asleep feeling quite safe and content. She knew it meant extra precautions for her to take when getting ready in the morning as the scent was rather strong on her fur now, but she felt it was worth the sacrifice to have something of his so personal in her room.

Less than a couple hours later the shaking of her bedside table had the doe raising her tired head off her pillow to stare in the general direction of the sound. After weeks and weeks of listening for that specific noise, the likelihood of Judy not recognizing her alarm simply did not exist. However, the possibility  _did_  exist that she would sleep through it which she had unfortunately done, and it was her  _second_  alarm telling her to get ready for school that was vibrating the table.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should be panicking at being potentially caught in her situation. Having to explain being wrapped up in a sweatshirt large enough to be a blanket that was covered in red fur sheddings and smelling distinctly of predator would be downright impossible to pull off. Instead though, the same things she should be worried about left her in a state of calm that lulled her back to sleep. At least for a few seconds.

A loud knock on her door shocked the bunny wide awake causing her to instinctually jump up. Unfortunately for her she had, in that short span of time, forgotten what she wrapped herself in and had comically fallen right off the bed. The muffled thump would have been audible to whoever was on the other side the door and it stalled the next round of knocking being sent her way.

"Bun-bun?" Judy managed to untangle her head quick enough to stare at the door in horror. "Honey, it's mom. Everything okay in there?"

"Y-yeah!" her voice came out in a squeak in her nervousness. "I just, uh,  _rolled_  out of bed, you know?"  _What?! I'm making puns now? My mother is about to walk in and catch me covered in red fox fur and smelling like musk and I'm resorting to puns?!_

There was a notable pause out in the hallway before Bonnie continued. "Ooo-kay. Are you alright?" Her concern for her daughter was touching, but Judy was in no mood to dwell on its she began racing around trying to hide the incriminating evidence.

 _Under the bed! No,_ she shook her head.  _Too obvious. Closet? Same thing. Wait, what about right outside the window?_ She was so distracted in fact that Bonnie tried the doorknob when Judy didn't answer.

"Bun-bun? I'm going to come in, alright?"

"No!" The jiggle of the handle had snapped the younger doe from her desperate thought process and caused her to leap over to the door and press her paws up against it even though the door was locked. "Sorry, mom. I'm just not feeling well this morning. Maybe a cold or something." She feigned a nasally voice despite having spoken in a normal one for several minutes. "I'm going to take a long shower to try and see if the steam helps. I'll probably just skip breakfast if that's okay."

She heard a small sigh come from out in the hall before her mother acquiesced. "Okay hon. I'll let the others know to let you be. I hope you feel better. Come see me before you head off to school."

"Don't worry about that. You'll get your bunny snuggle hug just like every morning." Both does smiled at that though neither knew it. Judy heard the soft footfalls of her mother heading towards the next sibling that had not gotten up yet. Breathing out a heavy sigh of relief, Judy turned to look over her room again.  _Where to hide it…_

About twenty minutes later, feeling much more refreshed and definitely smelling more like herself, Judy made her way to the kitchen to see if she could snag a muffin or some other pastry her mother liked to set out for everyone in the morning before she headed off to school. She had just entered the kitchen when she was swept up into a strong hug by the Hopps matron. And as she had promised, Judy squeezed her mother tight and exchanged nuzzles.

"Morning, mom."

"Morning, hon. Feeling better?" Bonnie turned away to go back to feeding one of her youngest litters. Judy noticed that nearly every bunny of school age had already eaten and left making her the last one to head off to school besides a few of the still-sleeping college aged rabbits. She would still be able to make the morning bell so she did not feel too rushed. "So I have a question to ask you. There's this boy in your class-"

"Mom. I thought we went over this?" Judy hung her head exasperatedly. "I'm not interested in being set up with any more of these bucks you keep sending my way." Bonnie turned her head only slightly, just enough to raise a brow in her direction and lock eyes before continuing in a stiffer tone.

"I would appreciate it if you would let me finish." Judy mumbled an apology which seemed to mollify the older doe for the moment. "As I was saying, there is a boy in your class that I would like to get your opinion of." This had Judy's interest peaking a bit. Her mother only ever asked for her opinion on boys at school when her sisters were involved.

"Alright," she said, her curiosity getting the better of her. She leaned up against the stove and relaxed slightly. "Shoot."

"Well, I was speaking with Mrs. Skippson the other day in the supermarket and we got to talking about her son, Johnny." Judy nodded while easily following along. Johnny Skippson had been in her class since third grade and she knew him rather well. "She's worried he's too shy. What do you think?"

This was something Judy could easily answer and if it meant her mother wasn't pushing him her way all the better. "Nice buck. Easy on the eyes. Incredible wood carver. He is very shy though. I've seen him try to ask out a few does but he chickens out before he can even start."

Bonnie tapped her chin thoughtfully while cleaning up a mess of strained peas she was autopilot feeding one of the toddlers. "I was thinking of maybe giving Jessica a nudge his way." Judy, who had been slowly snaking her paw towards a blueberry muffin situated on the stove, let it fall in shock.

" _Jessica?_ You want to set him up with  _Jessica?"_  One of her littermates and a near identical physical copy of Judy to boot, Jessica was nowhere near what one would call shy. In fact she was more open and flirtatious of any Hopps yet.

"Well my hope is that this Johnny will bring her back to earth a bit. Maybe slow her down a little rather than have her running around all crazy-like. And hopefully Johnny will get over his shyness by being around someone… _assertive_  like your sister." Judy could see that while her mother was speaking the words she didn't truly believe them as much as she was just at her wit's end with the pale-purple eyed doe that tended to make chaos out of nothing.

"She's more likely to fry all of his brain cells. But sure, he's a decent buck. Let's just hope he stays that way," she finished with a murmur.

"Well if you want I can always set him up with you." Judy spluttered for a few moments until her eyes met her mother's twinkling ones.

"You-! Don't  _do_  that!" Bonnie couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry, Bun-bun. I couldn't help myself. After the way you got all upset when you thought I was asking about the buck for you." She chuckled merrily while turning back to take care of the other small kits in front of her. "I know that you won't be interested in any buck I send your way."

Judy's ears jumped straight upright and froze in place. She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but she could have sworn there was a minuscule inflection put on the word 'buck'. Not for the first time in the past two weeks had her mother made suspicious comments like that. There was always something she would say when the two of them were alone or out of earshot of any of her fellow high-school aged siblings that would make the young bunny pause.

_It's like she knows something. But no, she can't know anything. We've been too careful._

_Ah,_ another voice within her said.  _But have you? Think. Has she tried to even mention a buck to you in the last few weeks?_

_Well, no. But that doesn't mean-_

_Has she stopped coming into your room in the mornings until after you've gone to school?_

_Yes but-_

_And there was that one time you came home after sneaking into the woods with Nick on the way home from school that you caught the smile on her face when her nose wiggled._

_…._

_Yep. She knows._

_OH SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS! SHE KNOWS!_

* * *

"How? How the heck does she know?"

The question had become a mantra of hers. Each time her foot met the ground during her run to school it flitted through her mind. Again and again she went over the details from the past couple of weeks.

"We've been too careful to let it slip. No one has caught him in or outside my room. The musk mask has always covered up everything perfectly. No stray fur strands on my clothes. So how? I just don't get it."

Kicking up a few loose rocks as she ascended the hill leading to the school, she contemplated the only other possibilities. And only one seemed plausible. Stopping just shy of the top, Judy's ears dropped along her back. "Someone must have told."

That made it even worse than simply having her mother notice things were out of the ordinary. At least then she could blame it on herself. But to have someone spreading it around without her permission was a large breach of trust. And with so few mammals in the know, her suspect list was quite short. "There's no way Sarah would have said anything. And Mrs. Catmull was very adamant that she wouldn't discuss it with anyone."  _That only leaves Nick's mother. But he said she promised she wouldn't._

Trudging a little slower towards the school doors, she could see she was alone save for a few other mammals running late. A smattering of rabbits, a couple of rams, and the one mammal she desperately needed to see that morning. Ducking behind a large oak, she peered around and called out to the red fox.

" _Nick!_ " she hissed quietly. It failed to get his attention but she couldn't risk raising her voice with so many long ears around. Picking up a piece of broken bark, she lobbed it towards his head striking a perfect blow to his ear causing it to flicker.

The tod reached his paw upwards to brush at his ear tip, dislodging the bark and having it fall onto the front of his muzzle. Sweeping his head back towards the open courtyard, he spotted the gray paw waving him towards the large tree at the edge of the woods.

After looking around to make sure he wasn't spotted, Nick quickly backtracked. Reaching the far side of the tree, he was greeted by the face of his overly cute girlfriend and reached out to stroke her cheek.

As much as Judy longed to feel his paw on her fur, there was no way they would be able to get through school unnoticed if their scents lingered on each other before they had even gone through the door. Shaking her head and stepping back, she saw both the hurt and understanding in his eyes. "Later, sweetie. I promise. For now though, I think we have a problem."

"Problem?" Concern flashed across his muzzle while his protective instincts flared. The idea of something or someone harming his bunny did not sit well with him, especially with his teenage hormones being a bit more than he normally had to deal with.

"Yeah. My mom knows about us." Nick's ears lay flat against his head and a scared look came into his eyes.

"Your  _mom?_  How does  _she_ know?! We've been so careful! Wha-" the next thought made him more fearful which was a surprise. "Does your dad know?

Judy hadn't even thought about that possibility but dismissed it after a few seconds. "No way. He would have brought it up to me even if mom won't. Dad doesn't let  _anyone_ get away with not having his 'date talk'."

"Okay, but how do you know she knows? Did she say something?" Nick asked while leaning against the tree trunk. He was feeling less apprehensive knowing he wouldn't have to watch for a pitchfork trying to stab him in the rear.

"Sort of? She's been making several comments the last two weeks that kind of point towards that, but it's the fact that she's abandoned all attempts to set me up with a buck that makes me think it's true." She hesitated but she needed to ask the question. "Do you think, maybe, your mom would have-…told her?"

Nick took a moment but then denied it with a shake of his head. "No. She promised she wouldn't tell any-…" He then paused. It had been over a while since his mother had made the promise but he certainly remembered the momentary concern he had had when she swore she wouldn't reveal their relationship.  _"I promise that not one student will ever hear it from my lips."_

"What?"

"My mother," Nick said. He grimaced before bopping his fist into his forehead. "Ugh, I'm so STUPID!"

"What? Nick, what is it?" Judy threw caution to the wind and placed her paw on his forearm. Her touch did help to calm him enough for Nick to place his back against the tree and drop his head into his paw.

"She promised that she would tell no  _student._ She never said anything about adults." He let out a small growl of frustration. "My mother has betrayed me for the last time."

"The  _last time?_  When on earth was the  _first_  time?!"

"Hmm?" Nick was momentarily confused by the doe's reaction but soon realized she had taken his mutterings to heart. "Oh. Really she hasn't, I was just in a mood and wanted to act all dramatic."

Judy stared at him, bewilderment on her face. "You are one odd fox, Nicholas Wilde."

Nick crouched down until was eye level with her. "Am I an odd fox? Yes, yes I am. But I am  _your_  fox."

Reaching out to quickly grab his tie, Judy hauled him in closer. As much as she wanted to bury her face in his scruff and nuzzle it until then went down, she knew the risks of being exposed and they still were not ready for that. Instead she leaned in and lightly pressed her lips to his.

Pulling back, she watched with amusement as Nick's lips seemed to curl into a permanent smile while his eyelids drooped in contentment. "Are you my fox? Yes. Yes you are. And don't you ever forget it."

* * *

"I swear there's something going on between those two."

It was the end of yet another school day that left Sharla exasperated to the point of exhaustion. As much as she liked to run after school, the heavy drizzle that had come along that afternoon had been a bit of a godsend. With her head feeling as if it was going to spin right off her shoulders, she relished the chance to just sit and converse with a few her friends.

"Honestly I don't understand why you are so fixated on the pair of them and if they or if they are  _not_  in a relationship. I mean yeah it would be totally awesome if they hooked up but spying on them won't make that happen." The mammal currently to the sheep's right was leaning over a notebook filled with names and tally marks on nearly every page.

"Yeah. And shouldn't you be worried about your  _own_  love life? Or have you finally told Gideon that you lo-." A hoof suddenly found itself placed over the mouth of another mammal on her left side.

"Jeez! Why is everyone trying to out like this? Every day now somebody mentions it!" Slumping back into the seat she was occupying, Sharla crossed her arms and sulked.

The two does on either side of her sat back as well and placed comforting paws on the sheep's arms.

"Maybe it's because-"

"-we're all tired of you two-"

"-taking so dang long on your own. I mean if you both-"

"-would just admit into each other, then half-"

"-the school could stop talking about it."

Sharla ran her hooves down her face silently asking herself why she bothered to sit down next to the Juniper Twins. In many rabbit families, especially out in the country, litter sizes could get quite large. Four to five kits in a single litter was not unheard of and littermates often tended to share some appearance traits like fur and eye color. True twins however were extremely uncommon and the Juniper twins were well known for it. A single tone of honey colored fur ran over both of their bodies, even down the throat where most rabbits would see a lighter color emerge. Their eyes were a soft green that often gave them a demure appearance. That was until they opened their mouths.

They say that twins share a kind of psychic bond. Both brains are on the same wavelength and could make them telepathic. If anyone had ever met Hally and Sally Juniper, they would believe that statement in a heartbeat. To talk with them required strong enjoyment of tennis as shifting eyes from one to the other rapidly was necessary. No one was quite sure if the twins ever even knew they were finishing each other's sentences with how fluidly they kept the conversations going. Sharla's mistake had been squeezing between the two of them at the folding table they were sitting at. To have one twin on each ear was to invite oneself to a stereo headache.

"Okay, so I know that you two know I'm… _interested_  in Gideon-"

"'Interested.' Sure. More like-"

"-pining away for him and desperately wishing-"

"-for him to sweep you up in his-"

"-big strong arms and run you be-"

"-hind the equipment shed and rut you sens-"

"Okay!" Sharla's quick shout made the twins dissolve into a giggling fit. The sheep had turned a few heads but the trio mostly went ignored considering how late the day was. Most students had already headed for home but Sharla preferred to wait until her mother could pick her up. The last time she had walked home during a heavy rain she had paid for it severely with mats in her wool. "Okay. We're just going to leave that alone for now. Can we get back to what I was originally talking about, please?"

"Oh sure. You mean about your-"

"-conspiracy theory that something is happening between-"

"-the devilishly handsome fox and-"

"-beautiful bunny-"

"your words"

"-not ours-"

"Wait wait wait. I never said those words." The pair of does looked at each other and shrugged casually.

"Okay, our words."

"But still, you think that-"

"-either they are in a secret relationship or-"

"-that something is going to happen that-"

"-will either be really bad or-"

"-really good."

Sharla rubbed the bridge of her nose trying to dispel the headache that was steadily getting worse. "Uhh, yeah. Basically. What are you two doing anyway?" To give herself a potential break from potential  _aneurism,_ she tried to distract the two of them towards the projects they were currently working on.

"We're on the Homecoming committee," the two does said together, all the while keeping their eyes trained on their notebooks.

"Wow. That's pretty cool." Sharla was sincere about that. While the twins were very hyperactive and tended to think about anything except what they were supposed to do, when they focused on something they both enjoyed the results were always astounding. The sheep was certain the pair could probably run the committee themselves.

"So what part are you working on, Hally?" addressing the one on her immediate right.

"I'm Sally!" The irritated flick of a cottontail was the only move the doe's body made though Sharla could sense an immediate tensing in her muscles.

"Well how am I supposed to know?! You two aren't wearing your flowers!" Because of how identical they were, both in looks and voice, the two bunnies had taken to wearing a flower behind their ear since they were toddlers. Hally preferred lovely blue hydrangeas while Sally grew special pink azaleas in a corner of her family's garden.

Without missing a beat of their work, each doe reached blindly into a backpack set beside their feet and pulled out a flower each. Now that Sharla could identify them, she properly addressed the bunny.

"So Sally. What are you working on?"

"Scheduling out the dance events and putting together a list of DJ's for the night," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oooh. I hope you get some good ones. Oh Bobby is on the list!" she noted while glancing over the bunny's shoulder. "What about you, Hally?"

"Homecoming King and Queen."

The cogs in Sharla's brain came to a standstill. "King…and…queen."

"Yeah, duh. It's pretty much the big finale of every Homecoming." Hally went back to her scribbling, writing down a few names and crossing out others as she compared multiple sets of notes she had placed nearby.

"And those are based on popular vote, right?"

"Well…sort of." It was the twins' first time working the Homecoming committee and they were finding that several things they had seen in movies and tv really weren't reality. "There's too many students to have everyone vote for for whoever they want. Imagine the chaos if the winner was someone with five votes because nearly everyone else had one. Not exactly "popular vote," right? So I have to assemble a list of four or five nominees of both princes and princesses, that's the nominees before we get a king and queen," she clarified for Sharla's confused tilt of her head, "and then everyone votes for them."

A lightbulb floating above Sharla flickered once, twice, and then shone brightly on the third try as a brilliant and devious plan came to mind.

"Hey Hally. You know Judy is pretty popular, right?"

" _Really?_  Are you sure? You mean one of the hottest girls in school, captain of the track team and the math team, with the highest GPA in our senior class, is  _popular?!_ " Turning the page towards Sharla, Hally tapped her pen on the top of her list, pointing out the name 'Judy Hopps' in bold with an underline of red.

"Heh. Right. Sorry." She felt a bit ridiculous however having gotten a look at the paper she had also noticed that Nick Wilde was on the top of the boys list as well. "So I was thinking. With both Judy and Nick on top of their respective lists, that means they are pretty popular. Right?"

The twins looked at each other before turning their eyes to Sharla and nodding.

"And the general consensus is that they would be pretty good together, yeah?"

Again the twins nodded, this time having an inkling of where the ewe was going with this.

"Soooo…what would happen if…say…the two of them became the Homecoming King and Queen? They'd have to dance, right? And with everyone there, and the lights down, and maybe we get Bobby to put on a romantic slow song, we could totally get them to make a move."

The two does stood as one and their voice rang out in stereo giving Sharla a slight headache again. "Are you saying we should  _rig_  the election?! Abuse our power as committee members?!"

Cringing slightly, the ewe hid partly behind her hooves and peeked out between the keratin tips. "Um. Yes?"

"I can't believe you'd-"

"-ask us to take advantage of our-"

"-responsibilities on our FIRST-"

"-COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT! Sure-"

"-they'd be a cute couple, but-"

"-we aren't going to-"

"I'll ask Gideon to homecoming."

"Done."

"Done."

With that out of the way, the two bunnies went back to work and all but ignoring the sheep. And that suited Sharla just fine since she now had to deal with what she had just promised.  _Oh shit. Did I just say I was going to ask out Gideon?!_ Her freakout though was luckily postponed as she saw something that distracted even  _that_  part of her day.

Seated in the center of the main lobby, Sharla had a clear line of sight down several hallways worth of classrooms. After school most of them were devoid of activity save for the few clubs that would meet up in the larger rooms. It was down one of the shorter halls that Sharla knew for a fact was completely empty that a suspicious sight greeted her.

Near the end of the hall was a rarely used janitor's closet. It was mainly used for storage since it was too out of the way for day to day use. Instead of the janitor though, Sharla watched as a slim red fox slipped through the door.

The black ewe was stumped by what Nick Wilde would be doing going into a janitor's closet, but the first thought was that he was getting something for Mr. Sable, the ferret custodian. Nick was routinely helpful to the staff which was unsurprising since his mother used to be a teacher. Sharla was about to put it out of her mind when from the opposite end of the hallway, a second figure poked their nose around the corner. This time Sharla was so stunned she forgot to breathe.

Judy took two quick steps until she was directly in front of the closet and, after quickly looking up both ends of the hall, she pulled open the door and slipped inside.

Sharla leapt to her feet so suddenly that she nearly upended the table causing the Juniper Twins to yell at the ewe who was hurrying down the hall as fast as her hooves could carry her.

In only moments she was standing directly in front of the door with her outstretched hoof just inches from the knob.  _This is it! Proof! I'm going to finally see them together and_ prove _I am not just seeing things!_

 _But,_ the voice inside her said causing her arm to stop and hang in mid-air.  _If you are right, and the two of them ARE in a secret relationship, should you really be trying to expose them?_

Her response was instantaneous since she had long ago questioned herself on what she would do should the situation ever occur. "Yep!" Going the final few inches, she gripped the knob, turned it it, and flung the door open wide.

"Aha!" There in the small room lit by only a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling stood Judy Hopps. Holding a wet floor sign. Alone. "Wha-? But…but…"

"Hey Sharla. Mr. Sable needed a sign so he asked me to get him one. What are you doing here?" Her tone was innocent and she was far too calm compared to Sharla who felt herself starting to babble incoherently.

"But…but…Nick, he was-…I don't…"

"Sharla?"

"Nick. He just came in here. Where did he…go?" She glanced around as if Nick Wilde would suddenly burst from the empty mop bucket in the corner.

Judy looked at her friend in concern. "Uhh, Sharla? Are you okay? Nick isn't in here. It's just me and you." Sharla started running her hoof through her wool locks muttering to herself. "Let's just head back out here, okay? I'll go drop off this sign and we'll go get some ice cream. Sound good?"

If Sharla had been behind Judy instead of leaving before her, or had she looked up at the ceiling of the room, she would have seen Judy and Nick, the latter of who was hanging from one of the pipes directly above an old filing cabinet, exchanged mouthed "I love you's" and a blown kiss from the doe to the temporarily trapped fox.


	16. 'It's about time, gurl' & 'Shared dreams'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow! TWO UPDATES SO SOON? I blame my wife for leaving me alone with the kids all weekend. I've had to distract myself or risk going insane. You know, like writing anthromorphic animal fanfiction level insane.
> 
> This chapter is like two mini-chapters in one. I hope you all enjoy it! Toodles!
> 
> Disclaimer: *in response to a reviewer about last chapter's disclaimer* Hello Kitty has a pet cat?!?!

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Currently slumped over a math textbook, Sharla Lamberton had anything but classwork on the brain. The mathematics formulas consuming the whiteboards at the head of the room were like hieroglyphics to her at that moment which meant there would be many late night study sessions at home to get ready for the next exam. But to the sheep, nothing could be further from her mind.

Nearly a week had gone by since the black ewe had concocted a plan with the Juniper Twins to get Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps together as a couple at the homecoming dance. It was not overly complex and rather easy to pull off, however, the twins had been reluctant in abusing their powers on the committee board. That was until Sharla had thrown out a promise. One born of her own inner desires and also desperation in getting Hally and Sally on board with her idea. And now she had to deliver.

It wasn't like she even  _could_  back out at that point. The twins had already completed their part and they would be devastated and hurt if Sharla didn't keep her promise. But beyond being a mammal of her word, the ewe felt that her rash decision may actually be her best chance at going through with it. To ask out Gideon Grey.

The idea of a fox and sheep being a couple was not exactly something that had been explored in the Burrows, mainly because the number of foxes in the Tri-county area was slim to none, though it wasn't until much more recent generations that interspecies relationships were even thought of, let alone accepted. But then again, that was the Burrows. Sharla had found more than enough articles on the internet to find that the two species' personalities were potentially compatible. And the physical compatibilities were proved as well through those video bookmarks on Sharla's laptop would forever stay password protected.

Before long the sheep found herself sitting in the cafeteria and staring blankly at her bowl of porridge. She honestly was surprised at her food choice since she didn't remember making it, but that was on par for how her morning had been going so far. Math had gone by in such a blur that she could barely remember if she had brought her books with her to her next class. She didn't even recall what that one was even about. Now seven weeks into the year and her daily schedule had flown from her thoughts while they were consumed more and more by a certain red fox. And that tod had just entered the lunchroom.

Sharla had purposefully decided to sit by herself that day, avoiding the waves from the table of her friends so that she could focus on her thoughts easier and without distractions. But suddenly seeing the object of her focus walk right in front of where she was sitting on the way to get his own food, that decision was quickly becoming a bad one. She would kill for a distraction right then. Instead, her only distraction from her thoughts on asking out Gideon was thinking about how she had grown to like him in the first place.

While he had been a bully back when they were kits and had tended to make Judy and Sharla his biggest targets, the ewe could not find it in herself to really hate him for it. Especially not after finding out  _why_  he had acted like that in the first place. And so while there wasn't any sort of friendship between the two of them, Sharla had still made sure to be friendly to her troubled classmate.

As the years went by, Gideon's 'tough guy' reputation from his childhood had been all but forgotten. Instead, a quiet and shy fox was all that anyone saw. A heavy country accent, something learned from his father who was originally from the much further southwest, mixing with a pair of unassuming but sharp blue eyes gave him a kind of charm that no one else really seemed to have, but it was missed by almost everyone it seemed except for Sharla.

She supposed it wasn't hard for her to start to develop feelings for the tod. His gracious manners never ceased to impress her whether it was swooping in to help someone with their falling groceries or volunteering his time to read to toddlers at the various preschools around them. It's said that a crush can be an attraction that builds slowly over time, hidden and waiting before springing out and making itself known. And Sharla could definitely attest to that. She had gone from admiring his traits to suddenly admiring his tail as well.

The attraction to the fox had been one that concerned her greatly. Not because he was a fox or the fact that he had once bullied her and her friends. It was the intensity of the attraction that had been overwhelming. It took her several days to build up enough courage to talk about it with Judy, but she knew that her best friend would never judge her. Not only did Judy  _not_  judge her, but she had expressed a great amount of joy in hearing how Sharla had come to like the fox.

She also had been able to help her understand why she was feeling so strongly about him. She had experienced crushes before. A cute ram in seventh grade had caught her eye for a few weeks but it had faded quickly and eventually was as if it had never been. Gideon though had begun to occupy her thoughts all the time. Judy had helped her understand that since Sharla was reaching maturity that her attractions were going to be a lot more powerful, but she also made sure to impress upon her friend that the attraction was most likely more than just fur-to-wool desires and that true, long-lasting feelings were underneath.

She had been right. It didn't take her long to determine that her feelings for Gideon were serious and unlikely to just drift away. For four years she had watched the fox as if he were her prey and not the other way around. So many times she had wanted to approach him and confess her feelings just to see if he did, or even  _could_ , return them, just to end her torture. But each time she would get near, her tongue would betray her and she would need to make a hasty and sometimes awkward retreat. After Nick had arrived and found a way to bring the shy mammal out of his shell and become more sociable and outgoing, Sharla found the larger fox even more desirable.

 _I can't._ Standing up, Sharla headed for the exit making sure to drop the porridge in the trash on her way out. It hadn't been eaten but she no longer had an appetite if she had ever had one in the first place.

She was nearly out into the halls when the sight of Judy brought her up short. Not for who she was, but because of what she was  _doing_.

With the lunch crowds coming and going at that time of the day, there was an unspoken rule about not crowding the students by their lockers. Nobody needed the harassment of trying to swap out books while at the same time making sure to have enough time to get food. Judy, instead of joining with the crowd, purposefully stayed closer to the lockers as she walked along. Normally Sharla wouldn't see that as suspicious, but as Judy reached a certain vulpine's locker, Judy moved over even closer to the wall.

Sharla watched carefully but she could not see Judy's lips move and Nick never turned in her direction. And then she saw it. Or thought she must have. The barest brush of the fox's tail against one of the bunny's calf. It was a flicker, a moment that may not even be one, but Sharla was renewed with a sense of purpose.

Whirling around the ewe stormed back into the cafeteria.  _That's it. I am going to get those two together at Homecoming and I'm going have the date I've always wanted to boot!_

Halfway to her target was when Sharla noticed most of the room had gone quiet. Dozens of pairs of eyes were suddenly tracking her as she walked briskly towards the fox situated near the back row. Save for when Nick was present, Gideon tended to eat alone which helped cool Sharla's nerves slightly.

Reaching the edge of Gideon's table a few strides later, the black ewe took a stance and opened her mouth. But nothing would come. The words she had been practicing all week to prepare for this moment changed in an instant to a simple and meek, "Hi."

Gideon looked up from his plate to see Sharla standing right in front of him causing him to nearly choke on his lunch. Rarely were the two ever this close alone and even rarer for Sharla to start talking to him. "H-hey, Sharla."

The stammer would have been adorable to the sheep if she did not embarrass herself a moment later by giving him a small wave. Considering they had already exchanged hellos and were within a few feet of each other, the late hoof movement made her want to slap herself.

"Gideon?" The nervous squeak in her voice made her sound like a young lamb and she quickly cleared her throat before trying again. "Gideon," she said with more purpose.

"Yeah, Sharla?" Though Gideon felt he should be more amused by the ewe's oddly timid nature, he simply could not get past how close she was to him. He was about to inquire further but just then she took a few steps closer. His breathing became a bit labored when she was near enough he could get a hint of her scent. It took every bit of self-control he had not to draw in a deep breath and savor it.

Sharla was forcing her frozen legs to move one step at a time until she was nearly on top of him. She noticed the few twitches of his nose and his dilating pupils and realized what was happening. The fox was trying not to become scent drunk off of her. It made her pause, but not in a negative manner. She had done enough research on canines, and particularly foxes, to know what scent meant to them. Gideon showed all the tell-tale fox signs of being very attracted to her and this caused her confidence to soar.

Now taking the last remaining steps towards him, she let her hips sway a little noting with satisfaction how his eyes strayed down to them. Watching him gulp as he once again met her gaze had her close to giggling in excitement. Instead, she pushed past all of the boundaries she had ever let stand in her way and slid into the seat where Gideon was.

The fox started to move thinking she was going to take his seat, but a loop of her arm around his neck and the feel of her soft wool-padded bottom resting on his thigh turned the large fox into a stone statue.

Sharla could see with the change in his breathing, the way he could no longer resist taking in her scent, that she had his full attention. Leaning close to him, she let a breathy whisper travel from her lips to his ears.

"Gideon Grey." Her honeyed words would have made him melt into a puddle on the floor were it not for the fact that would make it so he would no longer have her sitting on him, a dream that had always seemed so far out of reach, and he would do anything to keep her there. "I would be honored if you would be my date to Homecoming."

For several seconds the only thing that changed about the fox was a widening of his eyes. Sharla gave out a tiny cry when his eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head and he fell backward off the chair to the floor, dragging the sheep along with him until she was splayed out across his torso.

The cafeteria went dead silent and a few mammals started heading over to help but Sharla paid them no attention. Bringing her lips back to his ear, she whispered in a sultry tone knowing he most likely could not hear her anyway. "I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

The late evening found Judy curled up in her bed, warm in the embrace of her fluffy fox. Her absent-minded stroking of the long and ridiculously soft tail was causing a deep rumbling within his chest but neither had any intention of wanting it to stop. They had spent most of their time in silence broken by the occasional sigh or sensual kiss, but now it was getting close to their time to sleep and Nick was curling up tight around her body, almost becoming her own foxy blanket. And though they truly did need the rest, Judy couldn't help but postpone it.

"You know, I don't think I've seen Sharla like that…ever." There had been a few times over the years when Judy thought she had seen Sharla the happiest she could ever possibly be. A birthday where her father had been able to hire her favorite band to play, something he was still paying off three years later. Or when she had won a thousand dollars off a scratch-off ticket her uncle had given her for Christmas. The shopping spree had been ridiculous. But nothing compared to what Judy had seen all afternoon.

Before Gideon had even come around enough to sit up, the rumor of the ewe and tod going to Homecoming together had reached nearly every ear in the school. Thankfully Sharla had been faster than the voices on the wind as she had met up with Judy first. The two of them had hugged each other tightly and jumped in excitement. The black sheep had spent the rest of the day with the dopiest grin on her face that the doe had ever seen.

"Well," muttered the tod sleepily, his voice slightly muffled as he nuzzled the top of her head with his nose, "they say that no one knows true happiness until they learn that the mammal they love loves them back."

"Mmmm," she cooed while raising her paw to scratch under your chin. "Is that the way you feel about me?" Nick tilted his head trying to get her to scratch everywhere.

"My dear Fluff. Those words do not do my feelings justice."

Judy suddenly stopped scratching the fox's creamy underside of his muzzle and let her paw drop to rest on his. Nick's mind kept him turning his head trying to feel the bunny's digits underneath his chin again but soon realized her attention was no longer there and opened his eyes to find her gaze fixated on his paw, the one where hers was now intertwining.

"Justice," she murmured to herself. Nick's brow arched at the word and inflection she put on it as it was not something he expected her to focus on.

Tightening his own paw, he let their digits lock together. Rough pads and greater size on one half but it was the small and silky paw that was gripping the hardest. Almost as if the doe was clutching to her world with everything that she was.

"Judy?" Her name on his lips once more achieved it's purpose as it always did. Breaking her from the spell she had unknowingly put herself under, the brilliant violet irises rose to meet his. Her expression was a mix of trepidation, fear, and more than a little hope.

A few moments more in silence greeted the fox before Judy swallowed hard and looked down at their joined paws. "If Sharla can do it, you can do it." The words were whispered and meant for only herself, but Nick overheard them as clearly as if they had been shouted.

He didn't need to spend more than a moment thinking about it however as Judy once again looked up to him. Keeping their paws locked, she struggled slightly to free her other one from under her side, but once the wiggle caused it to shift out she raised it up and laid the gray paw along his cheek.

"Nick, I need to ask you something." The seriousness in her voice gained the tod's full attention and he nodded only once to show he was listening intently. "This is…something I have been thinking about for a while, and even more once it seemed to get more serious between us." He nodded again and tried to let his expression become a little softer. It seemed to help as the corners of Judy's lips perked up slightly.

"You know my dream. I'm sure you heard about the 'wannabe-bunny cop' before you even made it to your first day of school." Nick shrugged while keeping silent, though a soft smile played on his muzzle. "I've only ever had true support for my dream from a few very close friends and even fewer family members. Most everyone else tended to humor me or treated it like a phase I would grow out of. But it's not. It's always been my dream before anything else."

Nick's smile faded slightly. Her words, while heartfelt and sincere, were also hiding something. And he was not sure if it was in his favor or not at that moment. He loved her and he knew of her love for him, and so he waited patiently.

Dropping her eyes down to their joined paws, she used her thumb to trace over his russet fur. "My dream changed," she said quietly. "I still want to be a cop. But now I don't want to do it alone. And I wanted to ask if you would do it with me."

The silence from the tod was only a few moments but it was enough to send Judy into a panic and backtrack to try and salvage the moment. "Of course I know you have your own dreams but you never liked to talk about them even when I asked. So I just thought maybe we could share the same dream? But I understand if you don't want to. Being a cop is dangerous and it's a lot of grueling work. I should never have asked you like this. We should have talked about it more and we can if you want! But we also don't need to if you don't wa-" Nick quickly placed a digit on her lips bringing her words to a halt. He had a feeling she could continue on all night but he had things he wanted to say as well.

"My turn?" he asked her quietly. Her eyes showed she was still a bit shocked at being cut off but she nodded slowly. This time it was Nick's turn to rub his thumb over the back of  _her_  paw.

"Judy," just like before the doe felt her breath hitch at how he spoke her name. "I know that being a police officer has always been your dream. And the fact that you want to share that dream with me fills my heart with so much joy it almost seems impossible." He pulled her into a tight hug which she happily returned. Nuzzling deep into his chest she let a couple of tears escape the corner of her eye.

"So," she choked out trying to keep her composure. "Does that mean you might want to someday be my partner?"

Nick chuckled for a minute before bringing his paw to her ears and sliding them down along her back. "I submitted my application for consideration to ZU's Criminal Justice program a few months ago." He outright laughed at the way her jaw dropped and she began sputtering. Gripping her chin he held her still while leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. The two spent several minutes simply basking in the feel of the other.

"I've known for a long time now that the only place I want to be is by your side. And if I can share your dream and make it my own, well that's just a wonderful thing all by itself. So of course, if you will have me, I will follow you into the jaws of death itself, my sweet little bunny."

Tears welled in the doe's eyes before she shamelessly and silently wept. Dark tear tracks appeared on her fur as she clutched her fox all the tighter. "Always being by my side huh?" She hiccuped into his fur and tried to wipe her eyes clear. "That doesn't sound much like that 'three years dating' thing, Slick."

Nick chortled a bit. "Traditional time for dating to move to marriage and mating, Fluff. We usually know long before that if the mammal we find is the one for us. After all, falling hopelessly in love tends to be a  _lot_  faster."

Judy, her body, and emotions now spent, quietly laughed while tears of happiness continued to trail along her fur mixing into Nick's much redder coat until she finally slipped into her dreams, wrapped in the tight embrace of her fox.


	17. Dressing down and dressing up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we go, chapter 17! Woot! Man, this has been a tough one to get right. I had to get some advice outside of my normal knowledge for the second half but I think it turned out pretty good!
> 
> Disclaimer: When there's a murder at Disneyworld, they call on Detective Quasimodo. The man always has a hunch.

To say the mood was tense would be a gross understatement. Paws shook with both nervousness and grim determination, claw tips absently scratching at the russet fur covering the back of them while narrowed eyes stared at their adversary. Were it not for the brightly lit living-room, it would feel more like a battlefield than the inside of a house. The green irises of the young fox tod had fixated on their foe, one that sat across from him with more than a casual look of amusement in their expression.

"Mom."

"Nicholas."

_"Mom."_

"Nicholas." The vixen's smirk grew wider. "I can do this all day, so if you want to talk about whatever is on your mind you might want to get to the point."

"How could y-"

"Tell Bonnie about you and her daughter?" Enjoying seeing the wide-eyed expression of her son right then along with his dropped jaw, she lifted her paw and examined her claws.

"How-"

"Did I know you were going to ask that? Simple. You are far too predictable, Nicholas." This time it was the annoyance in his eyes and the huff of his breath that had her chuckling. "It's a mother's job to understand their kit better than the kit knows themselves."

"Well if that's the case, then why don't you enlighten me why you broke your promise." Hoping to shake her up he played one of his best cards early. Unfortunately for him, his mother had predicted that too.

"Ah but I didn't." Bringing her paws together, she tapped two claws together while keeping the same confident smirk on her lips. "If you will remember, I agreed to not tell any  _student_  about you and Judy. Adults were fair game."

"But… _why?"_

Deciding that her amusement could be put on hold,  _at least for now,_  she thought to herself, Vivienne scooted her bottom towards the edge of her chair and reached out her two paws to take hold of his. "It's easy to explain but hard to say. No wait, that sounds stupid. Hard to explain? No, that's not good either. Umm…well, let me just say why and I'll let your brain try to make sense of it."

**- _in the bunny warren-_**

A few miles away another such conversation was taking place, this one in a much smaller bedroom. A pair of soft violet eyes were looking upon the anxious doe with a great deal of understanding. She had been her daughter's age and knew all too well the troubles parents could cause in a relationship. Bonnie could easily recall the fights between her husband and her father.

"How long, mom?" Judy's question was not that far off from how Bonnie had expected the conversation to begin so it was easy enough for her to respond.

"A couple of weeks now. Mrs. Wilde called me one morning and I must say it was certainly one of the strangest conversations I have had first thing in the morning, which is definitely saying something, trust me." Getting up from the small desk chair, Bonnie moved to sit next to her daughter on the bed. The trepidation she noticed in her normally unshakeable daughter's form was upsetting.  _Best we take care of that first._ "I never expected I would get a call at breakfast telling me one of my daughters was in a secret romance."

Judy raised a brow, her expression stating all too clearly that seemed unlikely. "A hundred and sixty-two daughters and you never once expected to get an early morning call about them hiding a boyfriend?"

Bonnie laughed at how absurd her words must have seemed. "I meant  _you_. You are the last of my kits who I would ever expect to be doing something like  _this_." The emphasis her mother put on her last word brought Judy back to her apprehensive state.

"And by 'this' you mean…what? That he's a fox?"  _There it is,_  she thought to herself.  _Mom might know I am dating a fox and she may have been teasing before but here's where the lecture comes in. Well I won't let her get between me and Nick, that's for sure!_ With the discussion with her own mind over, she braced herself for anything her mother could sling against Nick.

"Oh Bun-Bun. I couldn't care less that he's a fox." Judy could not help herself. Her jaw dropped. "I'm talking about the whole 'secret, behind-closed-doors' thing you two have going on. I never would have expected something like that from you. Normally you are so blunt and forward that I'd have been surprised you would have lasted keeping this a secret for an  _afternoon_  let alone nearly six months."

"Yeah well…we had a lot of incentive to keep it to ourselves," she admitted, though now knowing her mother was okay with their relationship she regretted not having confided in her a long time ago. There were many times where she was flying in blind and it would have been helpful to have someone older to talk to.

"I can imagine. Getting time alone is bad enough in this house but with how many of your sisters would talk about that fox I wouldn't be surprised if they would be hanging off you all the time to try and see him. A few might even try to steal him." Judy snorted at that, knowing exactly how likely that would end up happening. Bonnie shook her head as well. "Yes, Mrs. Wilde also explained about that, as well as a few other aspects that your father was very reassured about."

"You told DAD?!"

"Well of course I did, Bun-Bun. I am married to him after all, we don't keep secrets from each other. Especially not about our children. But don't worry. After I told him what Mrs. Wilde said about foxes and their mating habits he was a lot calmer, though he wishes you two would have talked to us about Nick staying over at night."

**_-At the fox den-_ **

"You told them  _WHAT?!"_

"Oh calm down, Nicky. I just told them that you two had been sleeping together for the last several months." She grinned at how Nick's face fell into his paws in horror. "I must say it was quite the misunderstanding we had at that. Such a simple phrase means  _far_  different to a rabbit than a fox. It took a few minutes for both of us to calm down," Vivienne chuckled.

"I can imagine," came the muffled reply from her son, his muzzle still cupped by his paws in mortification.

"I have to say, that Bonnie can curse an awful lot of ways without ever saying an actual curse. It's quite cute." A flicker of her son's ear told her he wasn't thrilled with her choice of words, something she figured the younger doe had taught him. "I didn't understand what the big deal was until she started talking about how she needed to find out if Judy was on birth control or do some research to find out if foxes could even get bunnies pregnant. I didn't realize that sleeping together to them meant…you know… _sex._ "

While rabbits were very open about their species sexuality, for foxes it was a much more intimate affair and not something so casually discussed. Thankfully the two mothers had cleared that up very quickly and from there the conversation went much smoother.

"Yeah, probably should have explained that  _before_  telling a bunny  _mother_  that a boy had been sleeping with her daughter nightly for close to six months, huh?"

"Well, lesson learned for next time I suppose." She couldn't help but grin wider when Nick finally looked up at her through his digits. "I'm teasing, Nicky. I'm quite aware of how close you are to this doe. I'd even go so far as saying she and I could talk about designing the ring bands and you would have no objection."

Nick's eyes widened while he struggled to keep his jaw shut. For foxes, the rings themselves were just as important as the actual ceremony. They were not simply bought in a store or passed down through the family. Each one was unique to each mated pair, both the male and female would craft their rings for each other from nature. His father had spent three weeks searching old mines for a piece of silver ore to craft his mother's whereas she had woodworked a piece of oak from the tree they had met under. For a vixen to approach their son's prospective mate about crafting a ring told the couple that they had their family's blessing.

"I'm no fool, Nicky. I know you've already decided and while I'm sure your father will want you to carry out tradition, we both would understand if you threw that whole thing out the window. Besides," she added, "you do have to consider what your little bunny wants too, you know. And something tells me she's a bit more impatient than a vixen would be."

Though he was quite stunned by his mother's revelation, he did not forget his original question to her. "I'm honored by that, mother. However, you still didn't answer my question.  _Why_  did you tell her mother about this?"

**_-in the warren-_ **

"Bun-Bun?" Bonnie tilted her head at her daughter who had not uttered a word while she was explaining the conversation she had had with Mrs. Wilde. "Are you alright?"

"Umm…yeah…yeah." Judy shook herself out of her stunned stupor. "You're just uh…a lot calmer and seemingly understanding of all this than I thought you would be."

"Well, I must admit it wasn't all that surprising when I began to think about it." She laughed at how Judy's own head tilted in a silent question. "When you dated that Bobby Catmull I wondered if you didn't have an attraction outside of bucks. Or does for that matter."

"Well…not  _exactly_ ," Judy admitted to her mother. She had always found certain bucks attractive just as her sisters did, but dating was just never high on her priority list. Not until that one night in the woods so long ago. "But if you thought that, then why did you keep pushing those bucks on me? Do you know how embarrassing it was to field questions from my siblings about why I turned down this buck or that one. 'Do you want my friend Bethany's number?' was one I heard as well."

Bonnie paused, not to think of an answer but in how to properly word the one she had always known. "I was worried about you." She took a breath before opening up. "You've always been so headstrong, so determined, that nothing seemed to matter outside of your dream. You know that bunnies need affection. We need comfort and closeness and you never wanted to let anyone get close to you. I didn't want you neglecting to live the life you have now in favor of the life you will have down the road."

"Oh, mom." Judy sniffled while wiping clear the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I was never unhappy. Just focused, you know."

"And I understood that all too well, Bun-bun. You weren't the only one to ever shoot so high nobody thought you'd ever make it. Why, when I was your age I wanted to become a famous actress." Judy sat up tall, fixated on her mother with all of the attention she could give. She had never heard this story before. "I loved being in plays and acting out these roles in school. I wanted so badly to travel off to the big cities and audition."

Judy waited for her mother to continue but they sat in silence for nearly s minute before she broke it "What happened? Why didn't you go?"

Bonnie sighed. "I let fear get the better of me. My father warned me that so many mammals tried to become famous and only a pawful ever do and that failing my dream would mean I might lose the buck I loved, or not be able to start a family and give them what they needed." Now it was Bonnie's turn to wipe away a few tears. "I never told your father exactly why I didn't go off to the city. He had wanted me to, but my own fear held me back. So I settled for not trying. I want you to understand that I don't regret that decision. I never would have had all of my beautiful babies," she said while grabbing Judy and pulling her into a vicious hug making the younger doe giggle. "I just want you to know why I worry about you. You remind me of myself so much and I didn't want you to be focused on that one goal and not have someone be there like Stu was for me. Even if he didn't know why I fell, he still was the one to catch me."

"Well, I think you'll be happy to know then that Nick and I will catch each other." Judy beamed up at her mother, brimming with excitement at being to finally share the news with someone. "He's going to apply to the police academy too. We're going to try to be partners!"

"Oh, Bun-bun! That's wonderful, dear. I think your father will be overjoyed to hear that you'll have someone close to keep you safe. I'm sure he will love talking to Nick about that when he heads over to the Wilde's after harvesting the front ten."

"…come again?"

**_-at the den-_ **

"I'm sorry, Nicholas. That's just how I felt and I wanted to be careful. Your father agreed with me when I told him later that it was the best way to go about it."

"Wait wait wait." Nick put his head back down into his paw, trying to stem the headache threatening to start. "You were worried about how the Hopps's would handle the knowledge that their daughter was dating me, a fox, so your solution was to call them first thing that morning and tell them she was sleeping with me?"

Vivienne held her smile and nod for as long as she could before dropping the act and fidgeting. "It's been a long time since I was a teenager, okay? I thought this was the best way to do it plus I was so excited! My little boy and his first real girlfriend! And such a pretty and kind one too. I just- I had to tell  _somebody!_ " She waved her paws and arms wildly, looking at him as if that explained everything.

His raised brow told her he wasn't buying it, but she really didn't expect him to. It had been a spur of the moment impulse to call Bonnie and try to tell her everything. ' _No secrets between family'_ had been her excuse but it hadn't really been about that at all. She simply had just been giddy and wanted someone else to be just as excited as she was.

"Okay, so it wasn't the best plan, I know, I get it. You just have to understand I was concerned. There are still a lot of old-fashioned families out there, especially beyond the city lines, that feel interspecies romances are considered 'unclean'." Shifting slightly, she looked down at her paws which she was now wringing in nervousness. "I just wanted to make sure that the Hopps's weren't that way too. And I wanted it to be me who bore the brunt of it if it was and not a group of angry rabbits beating up my poor little boy for falling in love."

Her eyes had slowly began tearing up while she was speaking and Nick felt his ears flatten back along his head as his mother choked a few tears back. Crossing to her chair, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight. He was still upset with her for taking liberties he did not approve of but her heartfelt admittance and her reasoning being to protect him softened that edge.

"It's alright, mom. I understand." He gave her cheek a short nuzzle to reassure her of his honesty. "Thank you for trying to make sure I was okay."

Vivienne sniffed a few times before hugging her son back and pulling away to sit upright again. "Right. Well, I'm glad we could clear all that up. I need to go get a shirt on that's not covered in old lady tears before Mr. Hopps arrives."

"…I'm sorry, you said what now?"

* * *

"What do you think, Jude? Is the pink too much?"

Judy couldn't help but snicker as she looked at her friend. The young ewe's dark wool contrasted so horribly with the bright pink that it threatened to make the doe shut her eyes from the glare. The color was bad enough, but with the puffy shoulders and frill around the bodice, it was just too awful to look at. "You look like cotton candy that got stuck in the bowl!"

Sharla looked shocked for a moment before whipping her head back around to the mirror to examine herself. Now that her friend had said it, she easily noticed the way the dress swirled around like cotton candy would. Gritting her teeth she stomped off back to the changing room. "Hate you!" she called back, leading Judy into a fit of hysterics as she took another dress back to her own room.

Though having been to their share of school dances over the years, the two teens had never spent as much time looking for a single dress in their life. It may not have been their senior prom, at least not yet, but they certainly were treating it as such. Already there was a small pile growing outside of Judy's changing room and a rather larger pile outside of the sheep's.

"So I tried calling your cell yesterday," Judy called to the next stall over while slipping on her next choice. "But it was turned off."

"Yep," the single word and simple reply had Judy leaning towards the door hoping that more words would eventually follow but all she heard was the hum of Sharla's voice in a tune she didn't recognize.

"You, uh…you've just never shut your phone off." For the ewe, with her social media and texting obsession, to be without access to instant internet right in her hoof was akin to torture. The idea of her willingly shutting it down was laughable. "Forgot to charge it?"

"No-ope." Judy's small growl of frustration reached the ewe, but only just. However it was enough to get the sheep chuckling. "I take it you want to know where I was?"

"I already know where you were," Judy vehemently cried out while making absurd gestures with her paws that her friend obviously would not see. "I called Gareth and he told me that Gideon had picked you up."

"This would be true."

The thump from Judy's paw hitting her head in exasperation was music to Sharla's ears. Normally it was the ewe trying to wheedle secrets and whatnot from others. Now that she had something she knew would drive Judy nuts, she purposefully had kept her words to a minimum about it. However, she was a sheep that loved to talk about everything, whether it was her own life or someone else's. Her resolve was crumbling and she doubted she would be able to keep to together on the next question. One which came a bit later than she had expected.

Judy tried to keep her curiosity under wraps but it was slowly eating away at her. For months Sharla had been poking and prying at her about whether or not she was seeing Nick or interested in him or anything closely related to the tod at all. Now that the footwear was on the other hindpaw, she could understand why Sharla was always so determined to get answers.

"So if he picked you up then you obviously went out on a date. Where did y-"

"The movies!" Sharla's self-control was gone. The dam had burst and Judy suddenly found herself caught in the flood. "He took me to this wonderful romantic comedy at the mini-theater, you know the one over on Elm and Pine? They were having a throwback night and we saw this movie from, like, our parents' ages? It was about this bookstore owner who was, appropriately enough a dashing grey fox, though his colors weren't as handsome as Gid's. I mean that red and white, ugh, so gorgeous. Anyway, he meets this gazelle actress randomly and they fall in love, well I mean they  _eventually_  fall in love cause that's movies and drama, right? Anyway the plot kind of escapes me because at about ten minutes in I jumped that poor fox and didn't let up until the credits were rolling." She giggled.

Judy took a minute to let her friend's cackling die down. "I think I know that one. 'Notting Hill', right?"

"Would have been ' _Knotting_  Hill' if I had had my way." Judy spluttered at the double entendre while Sharla laughed manically.

"Sharla! You can't- he-" she had to stop herself from mentioning the fox rule of courtship since she wouldn't have any reason to know about that aspect unless she  _was_  dating a fox as it was an intimate part of their culture. "-in the  _theater_?" she finished lamely.

"Hey, I've got four years of lustful pining to work off!" she yelled back. There was a scuffling sound of fabric as another dress found itself tossed over the door. Judy was still trying to pull on her next selection while Sharla seemed to be going through them as if possessed. "Besides, he didn't want to go that far," the sheep muttered, though not with any sort of real remorse in her voice. She had lost herself in their rather heated kiss but even though she had those thoughts during that evening, she doubted she would have fully acted upon them.  _Wouldn't have turned down some roaming paws though,_  she thought to herself. "But my god, those fangs are just-…mmmm."

Judy had to tamp down on her agreement, but she too knew exactly how alluring those sharp canines could be.  _Especially when he gets to nipping my neck. Just makes me want to…_  Shaking herself away from that mental image, she finished slipping on her next dress. Stepping out to look into the shared mirrors between the dressing rooms, she was caught off guard by what she saw.

"I think…I think this is the one." Her voice came as more a breathy whisper but her friend heard it all too well. Even though her own dress wasn't fully buttoned and zipped, Sharla leapt from behind her door to see her best friend looking more radiant than she had ever seen her before.

It was a simple dress of dark blue, hugging her torso and shoulders but with a flare around her hips cascading partway down until reaching just above her knees. When she slowly twirled in front of the mirror, the fabric lifted slightly into the air showing off a bit of extra fur without revealing too much.

"Oh. My. God. Gurl, that is  _soooo_  the one! You look fabulous!" Judy blushed, the insides of her ears turning a bright pink. "I must say it fits those hips of yours perfectly."

"It does?" Judy hid a mischievous grin while she twirled a few more times. "You like my hips in this?"

"Heck yeah! They look per-" she cut off as Judy burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Dammit, Jude! Again?!"

"It's not my fault. You make it too easy!" Sharla muttered something Judy didn't quite catch but she had an inkling it wasn't a bunch of nice words.

Keeping her eyes on the mirror and doing a few more twirls, Judy was falling in love with the dress she had picked. In her mind she was already dancing with a handsomely dressed Nick in the gym, being envied by all of her friends and siblings for being with such a gorgeous fox. It kept her so preoccupied that she missed the vibration of Sharla's silenced phone in the room next to her. The hushed whispers caught her ear, however.

"-can't talk loud, she's right here." There were a few soft sounds on the other end of the conversation but Judy couldn't make them out.

"Did you get it all set? Really!?" Sharla's voice spiked just enough for the mammal on the other end to raise theirs as well, inadvertently letting Judy just barely hear them.

"Yeah, we didn't-

"-even need to put-"

"-any names in. Everyone had-"

-"been voting for them-"

"-already."

It wasn't possible for her to make out who it was based on the voice, but the dual voice pattern and how they were speaking immediately told her it was the Juniper twins. Knowing they were on the homecoming committee made Judy suspicious and she leaned towards the door.

"Does everyone want those two to get together?" Judy's eyes widened as she realized what Sharla was talking about. She wasn't a dumb bunny by any means and she had been training her analytical skills for years.  _Sharla asking about getting two mammals together plus Juniper twins on homecoming committee plus voting means…Oh my god, she tried to rig the homecoming election!_

"-not sure but-"

"-we suspect a large amount-"

"-probably did while-"

"-others may just have voted-"

"-because they are popular."

"Well," the hint of slyness in Sharla's voice had Judy almost imagining a wide grin on her friend's lips. "I guess we'll see what happens on Friday."

The conversation went on a bit longer but Judy had already scampered back over to her room and snatched up her phone. Quickly keying in Nick's number she typed furiously.

_*Sharla planng sumthn 4 us HC. We r gonna b the King + Queen. Wants to try and force us together. We need plan of our own. Ideas?*  
_

It took only a few moments before his reply came through.

_*Always, Fluff*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: I don't want to write this part but I'm afraid there is some bad news coming. The next chapter...well...it's the finale. Don't look at me like that! I know it's sad but the story has almost run it's course. The final chapter be upon us and there be no goin' back. Be strong, my fellow readers. There will be good fortune on the horizon.
> 
> (Disclaimer: I have been binging WAY too much Pirates of the Caribbean. Sorry)


	18. We can dance if we want to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here it is. The last chapter of A Rival Romance. Let's skip the talking and get right down to it! Enjoy!

There were few moments during high school that would be remembered by those who attended, no matter where or when they did, sometimes for years or even decades later. Judy knew for a fact that her father sometimes dwelled on accidentally calling a teacher 'mom' during his sophomore year and that her mother had been caught by the principal getting overly pawsy with a buck at the winter festival as a freshmam. Tonight was when Judy would be making a memory that she knew she would remember forever. There was only one thing standing between her and that dream.

"Urgh! Why…won't…this…thing…ZIP?!"

For several minutes Judy had been hopping around her room in a fit of frustration. Back at the mall, barely a week ago, her beautiful dress had slipped on so perfectly and the zipper had glided smoothly along it's channel. Now though it acted as if it had been superglued in place. It didn't help matters that the zipper was along her back and hidden beneath a fold of fabric. That alone made the task more difficult. But for some reason, even though she had checked it in the mirror and found it clean and not bound up in the dress itself, the zipper refused to move.

"Of course," she muttered while slowing down and reluctantly sitting on her bed. "The perfect dress for a perfect night with my perfect fox and the darn thing won't even zip up."

When a low chuckle reached her ear, she turned towards the door to see her younger sister Sarah leaning up against the opening. Judy sent a glare her way causing Sarah to outright giggle. "Problems?"

"Uh, ya think?" Clutching the top of her dress, Judy stood and spun around facing away from the door. "Little help?" she pointed over her shoulder to the still stuck zipper hanging just above her tail.

Still chuckling, Sarah entered the room and grasped the small tab. It started to move upwards but stopped after only an inch. "Wow, you really got this stuck, huh?" She brought it down slightly to examine the teeth for any bends.

"I don't know how. I haven't put this on since I got it home from the store." Sarah worked it back and forth a few times. "So why aren't you dressed yet?" Judy had noted the yellow tank top and green skirt her sister was wearing. "Not going to the dance?"

"Nah." The multi-colored doe kept working at the zipper finding herself getting a bit frustrated herself at it's refusal to move. "Heading down to Manta Bay for the weekend. THERE!" With one last tug the tab slipped past whatever barrier had been keeping it stuck and slid the rest of the way up Judy's dress.

"Oh thank goodness!" Judy sighed in relief. She had been very worried that her beautiful dress would have to sit in the closet rather than her getting to show it off to Nick at the dance. Straightening the neckline, Judy admired herself in the mirror. "So," she said while meeting her sister's gaze in the reflection. "Heading to Manta Bay, huh?" The knowing grin had Sarah looking away, trying and failing to hide a blush. "Any special reason?"

"Ummm… change of scenery?" she offered lamely.

"Uh-huh. I bet," Judy smirked, knowing exactly who was waiting for the multi-colored doe at the train station.

"Enough about  _my_  plans. Let's talk about yours tonight!" Sarah grinned gleefully having overheard Judy and Nick the night before. What they had in mind was almost scandalous by high school standards and if not for the fact she was going to meet her own doe she would no doubt be there to witness it.

"Well…"

* * *

While Judy was spending most of her time chatting with her sister, Nick was fretting over his appearance in the mirror. He had gone through his closet twice trying to find something decent to wear only to come to the conclusion that he had to lower his expectations. Any other day any of his dress shirts would be acceptable, however that night was about dressing to impress his unofficial 'date' of the evening.

Eventually he kept coming back to the same two shirts. A light green button-up that was reminiscent of his Pawaiin ones and a rather dark violet that contrasted nicely with his fur. Deciding that his bunny had seen enough of him in green, he laid out the purple one and moved to his slacks. That was an easier choice as he really only had two pairs of dress pants and the black went better with the purple than the light khaki. A bright pink tie finished off the ensemble and Nick headed for the shower.

As per the norm for most mammals, the hot water running over the Tod's fur started his mind wandering. Expectedly it flashed back to nearly a week ago when a certain rabbit had shown up to…have a chat.

_Though he was only slightly larger than half of Nick's height, the buck sitting in front of him made him feel like a tiny kit again getting ready to be chastised. Stu Hopps projected an authority that only a father with decades of experience could manage where size mattered little. The fact that Nick was dating his daughter only added to the trepidation the fox was feeling._

_The silence in the room had persisted for several minutes with Nick waiting for Stu to break it. When they had first sat down, the fox felt prepared for the onslaught. His shoulders were squared and his emotions were locked down. He knew he loved Judy and that she loved him, and nothing their parents tried to do would keep them apart._

_Slowly that strength had been sapped away. After the first minute with Stu's eyes boring into his, Nick felt himself start to fidget under the emotionless stare. For someone who was always described as overly emotional, Stu was unusually stone-faced. Nick could not get a read on anything happening in the buck's mind and that alone caused him to start to worry more and more. After five minutes of increasing anxiety, Nick could no longer take it._

_"Sir," he began, "I want you to know that I love your daughter very much."_

_Stu remained expressionless and unmoving._

_"I, uh, I care about her a great deal, so you don't need to worry about that. Sir."_

_Still nothing._

_"I will never hurt your daughter, sir." Now feeling desperate, Nick fell back on his humor to try and defuse the situation. "Well, unless you count the nipping when we make out," he chuckled._

_Stu's eyes narrowed._

_'_ **_Shit! Why?! Why would you do that, you moron!'_ ** _he mentally slapped himself. '_ **_Quick! Apologize profusely and make an excuse and GET OUT OF HERE!'_ **

_"Sir, I-" Stu put up a paw bringing him up cold._

_"Let's just stop right there, son. Before you embarrass yourself any further." Nick nodded in agreement, wisely deciding to keep his mouth shut for the time being._

_Stu took a moment to consider the mammal before him. He did not know much about foxes or their behavior considering he had only been near a very small few of them in his lifetime, but he certainly did not seem the vicious type to him. Instead he seemed to be cowering slightly under the rabbit's gaze, trying desperately to meet the older mammal's eyes without flinching._ **_'I suppose what Bonnie said might be true after all.'_ **

_"Nicholas I'm going to be frank with you-"_

_"Hi Frank!" Nick joked, immediately dropping his head when faced with a stern and disapproving look from Stu._

_"Don't do that."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_"The reason I am here is to meet you and see if I approve of you dating my daughter."_

**_'Approve?'_ ** _Stu's words did not sit kindly with the tod. In fox culture any couple that feels they should be together ultimately would be. Parental permission was not needed. As such the very idea that he would need to gain the approval of Judy's parents was upsetting. Sure he wanted the buck to like him, but he would not beg to be accepted._

_"With all due respect, sir," Nick's voice had hardened. "We do not need your permission to continue seeing each other. Both of us will be eighteen by the end of the school year."_

_"Oh, I know you don't." This effectively ended Nick's indignation and instead catapulted him right into confusion. Stu chuckled at the expression on the fox's muzzle. "I didn't come over to tell you whether or not you could see my daughter. Approving of does not mean choosing. I can no more choose Judy's boyfriend than I can her career. And while you do not need my permission, it is nicer when the whole family can get along, right?"_

_"Uh, right?" Nick wasn't sure exactly what was going on at that point but so far he had not been stabbed with a pitchfork so he must be doing alright._

_"I will admit you are not exactly the type of mammal I envisioned Judy dating," Nick's heart plummeted into his stomach, "but you certainly are an honorable one." The Tod's heart stopped partway down it's plummet. "I cannot tell you how many boys and girls I've had to chase out of the burrow in the middle of the night. Though I'm fairly certain if I had known you were in my house, in my daughter's room, I would have been chasing you out too."_

_"Mr. Hopps, I promise that nothing ever hap-"_

_"Yeah, I know that part." Stu grimaced slightly. He didn't enjoy discussing anything about his kits sex lives unlike his wife. He wasn't a prude, after all he had two hundred and seventy six children, but he was one of those rare bunnies who preferred to not know everything that went on in their rooms, just which ones he had to remove unwelcome guests from. "Bonnie and your mother both have explained that aspect of your culture. And while that certainly makes me feel more comfortable with having you around the burrow, I'd prefer if we kept the midnight rendezvous to a minimum. Can you do that for me, son?"_

_"I-…I can certainly try. But Mr. Hopps, you have to understand, it's normally the vixen in fox relationships that decide things like that. They tend to take charge."_

_Stu looked at him blankly before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Well Nicholas, I can tell you one thing. If there was any bunny out there that could fit that part of a vixen's role, it would be my Jude."_

It wasn't altogether the best conversation he could have had with his girlfriend's father but it did not turn out as bad as he had expected. It didn't last too much longer with Stu shaking Nick's paw before getting a hug from Vivienne which caused the buck's ears to turn red before heading home for the night.

Done his shower, Nick let the fur dryer do it's work while dragging a comb through his ruffled coat. He wasn't going to show up to a dance looking like a bedraggled fox, at least not again anyways. Once he was satisfied with his grooming and that his breath had been made more pleasant with a thorough brushing, Nick moved into the bedroom to get dressed, all the while running through 'The Plan' in his mind.

* * *

For nearly all of the Hopps children, taking the bus to school was a privilege. With only so many seats available there was a rotation chart inside the burrow that determined exactly who would be riding and who would be walking, although there was the rare occurrence when one of the older rabbits would take a few in their personal cars on the way to work or college. As energetic as bunnies were, walking several miles to school was more like a brisk workout than it was a punishment and many, like Judy, would often jog for exercise.

Judy herself had only taken the bus twice in her entire time at high school since she never passed up a chance to get in some personal endurance training. Once when she sprained her ankle and another when her brother was being bullied. One bus ride later the few mammals that had been picking on her sibling had ultimately changed their ways and never went after another kit again. There was also the rare carpool in with an older sibling if she found herself running late, something that was rare in and of itself but now unheard of. This night however was an exception to the rule.

With so many high schoolers headed for the homecoming dance and none of them wanting to ruin their dresses or suits, Stu and Bonnie had rented several large passenger vans to ferry the children to and from the school. It wasn't cheap considering how many families were trying to do the same, but Stu knew the extra profits from the harvest festival would cover the expense. It wasn't an unfamiliar routine considering how many times they had done this over the years but it never failed to mess up somehow.

"Everyone! Everyone line up over here!" Stu's shouts went barely noticed over the chaotic noise of several dozen conversations all at once. "I need everyone to focus over here! Hello?" The buck turned and shrugged at his wife nearby. Bonnie rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"QUIET! DOWN!"

Bonnie's method went over much better than her husband's which wasn't altogether shocking. She was the matron of the house and often needed to rein the children in. Stu gave her a sheepish glance of appreciation and turned back to the now silent group.

"Alright, we are going to do this neatly and quietly, yes?" Several nods were what he got in response while others simply pulled out their phones but that was good enough for him at this point. "Okay. Kits A through G will be in van number one." Normally all litters were named the same letter. A litter, B litter, and so on. Bonnie had never been one to follow tradition, but they still needed some form of organization so they had adopted an A-Z style in other ways. "That's Alice, Amanda, Aaron, Arnold, Abigail, Bethany, Bridget, Billy, Bernadette, Carol, Cameron, Cecile, Charlie, Diane, Dean, Derek, Eric, Ethan, Emma, Faith, Felicity, Fiona, Frank, George, Gabby, Gloria, and Gregory. Van One, thank you." The named kits filed in and began filling up the large vehicle. It was lucky for the Hopps's to manage three wolf sized vans that year since it lowered the number of them from six to three.

"Okay, H through P in van number two. Heather, Harold,…" Judy tuned her father out after that. She knew she would be in Van Two so she didn't feel she needed to bother with hearing everyones names called out. She had long ago memorized all of her two-hundred and seventy five siblings.

_I just hope I don't get put next to Jessica._ Her sister had started talking more and more to Sharla about the conspiracy about her sister and Nick and she had started pestering Judy more and more as the weeks went on. Glancing over out of curiosity, she saw that Jessica  _was_  in fact looking at her with a look of glee. She inwardly groaned knowing she was most likely going to be stuck next to her littermate and loath the twenty minutes it took to reach the school.

Hearing the last name called, Judy shuffled forward while keeping the hem clear of the grass in case any stray dirt felt the need to try and ruin her dress. She had almost made it to the back of the queue when a paw landed on her shoulder.

"I'm going to take Judy, okay hon?" The voice of her mother behind her started a small murmur to pass over the assembled crowd. To get a ride from a parent usually meant one of two things. Either they were going to work the stand that day, or that they were in so much trouble that they needed to address it alone. Stu glanced at his wife and nodded with an understanding look before bringing his attention to the rest of his children.

Judy could not contain her nervousness as she was steered away from the rest of her siblings and led towards her mother's personal vehicle. It was a rather large, though still bunny-sized SUV. She was hoping to hop into the back rows to potentially narrow the focus her mother seemed to want to send her way but her plan was immediately ruined when Bonnie gestured her towards the front.

Since they did not need to wait for the rest of the kits to settle in, the two does headed out as soon as they had a cleared area in the driveway. Knowing how short a drive it would potentially be, Judy expected her mother to bring up whatever she had to say fairly quickly, a theory quickly proven as they had barely cleared the mailbox before Bonnie spoke up.

"So I heard from a little birdie that tonight is going to be a big night for you, Bun-Bun." The matron's tone was very casual, but the underlying message came through very clearly to the younger bunny.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Judy replied with a noncommittal shrug. If her mother was going to try and get something from her, she was going to force her to be more direct.

"Well," Bonnie fidgeted in her seat slightly, "it's a big deal for you tonight, yes?"

"It's the Homecoming Dance. It's a 'big deal' for just about everyone, mom." Judy was trying to hide a smile knowing her dancing around the issue was slowly driving her mother crazy.

"Oh boiled cabbages, you know what I mean Bun-Bun. This 'plan' of yours."

"Considering only three mammals know about this and I know neither Nick or I have told you anything, I'm gonna guess Sarah blabbed." Judy really couldn't be angry with her sister. When their mother wanted to learn something from her children, she would inevitably find a way.

"It's not all that bad, honey. I'm your mother, we can talk about this sort of thing. I may be no spring chicken but I still remember what high school was like." Judy cast her mother a dubious look.

"Oh? I missed the part where you were hiding a secret relationship from two hundred and seventy-four siblings, not to mention a few thousand classmates and several very close friends."

Bonnie adopted a sheepish look at the truth being sent her way. She and her husband had been very open with their relationship throughout their school years, getting into trouble for being caught in compromising positions more than a few dozen times in junior year alone.

"Well no. But I'm still your mother and one of the very select few who know the truth about you and Nicholas. You don't  _have_  to talk to me, but I figured I would offer it."

Judy tilted her head as she pondered that. She knew that Sarah would never reveal the full plan to her mother, especially as Judy hadn't told her sister the full plan anyway. She figured that it wouldn't hurt to discuss it a bit with her mother as long as she left out some of the details. ' _Mom might be good at keeping secrets but somehow things are always found out.'_

"It's a little complicated but…"

* * *

If ever there was a mammal more impatient and high strung than a bunny, it was Sharla Lamberton. Though she had only been at the dance for roughly ten minutes, to the ewe it felt as if she had been standing by the doors for days. There was no was no way she was going to miss her best friend walking through the entrance, not after spending weeks preparing for that night.

It was part amusing and part irritating that after all she had done to put her plan into motion it had all ended up being for nothing. Nick and Judy were voted for Homecoming King and Queen by a near landslide without the Juniper Twins having to do anything at all. She couldn't be all mad though. If it hadn't been for the agreement with Sally and Hally, she might never have mustered up the courage to approach Gideon and ask him to the dance. And she would never regret that, not in a million years. The past couple of weeks with her fox had been the happiest she could remember feeling. Four years of pining and desiring culminating in a frenzy of emotions being poured out.

Prying her eyes away from the door for a moment, Sharla looked across the gym to see her tod standing at the refreshment table. It may have been cliche, but Gideon had wanted to go get her some punch. She figured he had seen a few too many high school dances on tv to think it was expected of him. She couldn't help but smile at the poor fox who seemed to be in a perpetual state of awkwardness. _'He looks nice though.'_ The red and white fox had ditched his signatures overalls for a light blue dress shirt and a pair of corduroy pants.  _'Can't get the farm completely outta him,'_ she thought fondly.

Unbeknownst to her, during the time she had spent looking at her boyfriend, the object of her true obsession had entered the gymnasium and was standing directly behind the black ewe. Stretching up high, Judy got her lips as close to Sharla's ears as she was able. "Boo!"

Unsurprisingly the larger mammal let out a strained squeak and leapt several feet off the ground, even higher than Judy herself. The adrenaline rush lasted only a few seconds so it was with shaky hooves that she turned towards the laughing bunny and gave her a stern glare.

"Jude! You- dammit Jude I coulda torn my dress!" Now that the shock was wearing off the ewe's mind flashed to another concern and quickly began examining her outfit for any popped seams.

"You deserve it for playing 'Guard Duty' over here instead of dancing with Gideon. Waiting for me to arrive rather than getting cozy with your boyfriend? Mammals will start to talk," she said with a wink causing the sheep's cheeks to tinge red, barely visible beneath the wool.

"Oh hush. He's over there getting me a drink." Sharla turned back towards the fox who was patiently waiting his turn to use the punch bowl. She couldn't help but smile lovingly, something which did not go unnoticed by Judy. In just a week's time she had seen such a change come over her friend. A little bit of the awkwardness had left her though that was partly due to the fact she no longer was hiding her feelings from Gideon and had embraced them thoroughly.

_'Having someone in your life certainly will do that to you.'_ Judy's thoughts were of her own tod who was no doubt only minutes behind her. The plan had been for them to enter at different times to throw off suspicion.

"So how have you two been doing? I know it's new territory for you both." While Sharla had briefly gone out with a few rams over the past couple of years, Gideon had never expressed interest in any girl whatsoever. To those who were not the clueless couple themselves it was quite clear why, but neither mammal had ever given up hope that the one they wanted would be the one they got.

"It's been interesting. A  _good_  interesting," she clarified. "We don't share any classes really so seeing each other during school is pretty much restricted to rotating lunch periods. Most of our time together has been on dates after school or just hanging out at the park. Gid  _loves_  sunsets so we usually are there until dusk."

Judy was ecstatic for her friend. It had taken them many years but finally they were together and it seemed to be going well. Judy was about to ask where he was taking her that weekend when suddenly Sharla stiffened up and began to vibrate with unbridled excitement.

"He's here! Oh Jude, look at that hunk of red and black over there." Judy turned to where Sharla was pointing with her hoof and caught sight of the mammal she had been waiting for.

Nick had entered the gymnasium with an almost graceful lope, one of a predator on the prowl. There were several girls that swooned as he walked by and Judy even caught one her sister's fanning themselves after Nick sent her a wink. Sharla was more interested though in watching Judy's reaction.

A smile. A raised brow. Maybe a lick of her lips would have given Sharla something to go on. But there was nothing. Judy seemed to be uninterested in the fox now heading up the aisle near them on his way towards the snack area. Sharla couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. She was so certain something would have happened. If she had been inside Judy's head it would have been a far different story.

_'Oh my god, oh my god. He's here and he looks absolutely gorgeous.'_ It took every ounce of willpower the bunny had not to start panting at how downright  _hot_ her fox looked. The dark purple button-up was a stark contrast to his usual pale green and did nothing to hide how fit he was. Nick may have been a leaner version of a red vulpine but his muscles were toned just enough to be noticeable even across the room, the result of many hours spent on the soccer field every day.

Nick meanwhile was experiencing much the same issue. He had only briefly caught Judy's appearance as he entered since Sharla had been standing right next to her. He didn't want to give anything away but the sight of his bunny in that dress was more than just tempting to look at, it was downright painful to  _not_.

Spotting Gideon over at the punchbowl he headed over to meet up with him. The other tod had already spooned a couple of cups worth but Nick managed to catch up with him before he headed away. "Gid! How ya doin'?"

"Nick! Hey, that's a nice getup ya got there. I like tha' purple. Be'er than those god awful green ones ya always runnin' 'round in." Nick arched a brow but chose not to say anything. It wasn't the right time to bring up the other fox's choice of overalls every day.  _'Monday,'_ Nick thought.  _'Fair game then.'_

"Here with Sharla, I take it?" Nick asked while getting his own drink. He used the time to cast a glance towards the door making sure to look at Sharla directly but keeping Judy in the corner of his eye. He marveled at how the dress clung to her so perfectly and how he couldn't wait to hold her in it.

"Yep! Hard ta believe ain' it?" His voice turned a bit shaky as he kept his eyes on the sheep. "Seriously though, Nick. I'm findin' it hard ta believe it's real, ya know? I mean, I ain' 'xactly the most good lookin' fella out there. Why would she wan' ta be here with me?"

Nick felt for the canid. He'd experienced some trepidation when he had first gotten together with Judy. While she thought the world of him he wasn't all that fond of himself. His past wasn't exactly perfect. More than once he had gotten into a scrap at school and, though nothing serious, he always looked down on himself for it. It had taken a while but eventually he was able to get past his doubts and just embraced the love she had for him.

"Look, Gid. There are two things I know about Sharla. One, she is the biggest gossip and fastest talker I have ever met." Gideon chuckled at the truth of that statement. "And two. That sheep had been in love with you since long before I even came to this school."

Gideon's eyes widened, surprised at Nick's words. He had never once seen any hint that Sharla had ever been interested in him, though if he was being true to himself, he tended to look the other way so he wouldn't give away how he felt and possibly embarrass himself and her over his feelings.

"Well I'll be a darned fool." Perking up a bit, Gideon straightened his tie and grabbed the two cups of punch. "'Scuse me, Nick. Gotta gal waitin' for me o'er there." Nick chuckled himself before ladling another cup for himself.

Gideon paused a few feet away and turned back towards the other fox. "Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Look. Ain' none o' ma business if there's anythin' goin' on between you and Miss Judy," Nick arched a brow at the possible insinuation there. "You say there ain' and I can believe ya, but Sharla seems a mighty bit obsessed with you two and if you's a couple or not. Think she might try to do somethin' here at the dance. I don' know what, but ma gut is rarely wrong."

Nick forced a concerned look on his face before giving the vulpine a nod. "Thanks, Gid. I'll keep my eyes open." Gideon nodded back before turning towards the ewe and heading away.

_'Gid, my friend. You have no idea what's about to happen.'_

* * *

To those mammals looking on bunny culture from the outside, what they saw was the epitome of  _cute_. A small prey species with overly soft fur, meek personalities, and who were easily terrified. Bred to be farmers, nurses, and the occasional tax auditor. Harmless. Placid. Predictable.

For those inside of rabbit culture, it was as far from that image as it could be, something Nick Wilde learned early on when he first arrived in the Burrows. His first night to a school dance had opened his eyes to a side of bunnies he never knew, nor did his wildest imaginations, including the one time he and Finnick had snuck one of the fennec's older brother's 'cigars' and found out the hard way that it wasn't tobacco in the wrapper.

School dances in the Burrows were saturated in dark lighting, flooded with loud music, and heavy in colorful strobe lights. Everything that went against common beliefs about rabbits seemed to be present at these events. The low lighting that was supposed to leave rabbits practically blind was in fact the perfect level for them to see. The amped up volume from the DJ booth should have caused many bunnies to simply keel over in fright since their hearts were too fragile to withstand such a shock to their system, however with the way the volume was raised slowly from the beginning cushioned them until they could rival even outdoor concerts. And the flashing lights, which was always thought to cause a panicked instinct to flee in lagomorphs, merely served to pump up the excitement and keep them hopping around for hours.

Nick preferred to stay back as much as possible having been accidentally caught up in the crowd his first dance at the high school and had a feeling tonight would be more of the same. Less than an hour into the party that turned out to be a smart plan as the fox watched the rapidly growing group turn into a massive fluffle mosh pit, though he couldn't help but feel a pull from the black-tipped ears of the gray bunny doe he had been thinking about all night. Watching Judy dance was almost infectious and he was silently pleading for the night to go by faster.

Up on-stage Bobby Catmull pumped his fist to the music, raising the volume another few decibels while a horde of bunnies surged together, Judy becoming swept along with them, Sharla trapped right alongside her.

A few times Nick's eyes caught the sight of Judy's glancing his way from the group of hopping bunnies. With everyone so distracted it allowed them to fully enjoy how the other looked that evening. With the fox acting more of a wallflower, Judy got the better of the show since she was more or less swallowed up by the crowd in-between hops. Certainly did not stop Nick from enjoying his own view since every now and again he caught sight of his doe's little tail puff wiggling in excitement a she shook her hips to a new song from 'Gazelle', the latest pop-sensation Nick was certain would fade out soon, though if it kept his bunny dancing like that he wouldn't mind if she didn't.

It took several more songs before most of the gathered rabbits began to lose steam and the mosh pit started breaking up in favor of chairs and a good amount of ice water being consumed. Sharla had already collapsed next to Gideon at a nearby table and Judy soon joined her, still jumping around in unbridled energy.

Leaning her dark head on the fox's shoulder, Sharla just stared at her friend with a look of envy. "I swear you are really some sort of battery powered bunny-bot, Jude. You just keep going and going and going." Judy laughed heartily, bouncing up onto the chair next to the ewe as if to prove her statement as true.

"I can't help it! Gazelle just gets me so pumped up!" Several resounding cheers from other does went up around the gymnasium echoing the sentiment. Judy suspected there would be a huge uptick in Gazelle sales and downloads that night once everyone got home. The bandwidth of Bunnyburrow was going to be slow as death for a few hours.

"Uh-oh." Sharla's voice caught Judy's wandering attention and snapped her back to focus on the black sheep. "Looks like Nick isn't having such a fun night."

More than a little concerned, Judy swiveled her head towards where she had last seen her fox and where Sharla's eyes were now. Seeing his gaze aimed off at nothing in particular and looking pensive, she cocked her head slightly in confusion while looking back to her friend. "Doesn't look like he's having a bad night either. More just kind of…thinking. Odd thing to do at a dance, huh?" she tittered making Sharla smirk alongside.

"Wonder what he's thinking about."

"Oh probably about why he couldn't land himself a date or something," she remarked casually while taking another drink of water from her chilled glass.

"You didn't either," Sharla pointed out with a light push to her friend's shoulder.

"Hey, I  _chose_  to come here alone. You know I don't ask guys out. Or girls, so I guess there goes your shot," she teased making Sharla splutter. Gideon ended up chuckling as well which ended with him getting a swift poke in the belly from his flustered date.

"Well I don' reckon I know much more'n y'all do about Nick comin' 'thout a date, but I do think it's a might shame he ain' got no one to dance with." The tod looked over at his friend with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Sharla lifted her hoof to her mouth in order to hide one of the biggest grins she had ever had in her life. A quick twirl of her hoof caused two does near the stage to leap to their feet and head back behind the stage curtain without being noticed by Judy or anyone else for that matter.

"I don't think we'll have to worry too much about that," she remarked casually though not without a hint of mischief. Judy started to ask what she meant when a very familiar set of voices rang out over the speakers.

"Can we-"

"-have your attention-"

"-please? Eyes up-"

"-here everybody!"

Nearly a thousand heads turned at once making the gym gain a sort of ripple effect for a moment that would probably make a giraffe motion sick if one had been looming over the crowd. The sight of two bunnies crowding the lone microphone caused a few groans to sweep through the collected mammals as they recognized the Juniper twins up on stage. The cadence of the twins could cause some headaches on a regular day but when they got hold of a microphone the chances of gritting teeth skyrocketed.

"Thank you. Now it's-"

"-time for the announcement of-"

"-the Homecoming King and-"

"-queen."

Sharla, who already knew the outcome of the voting made sure to pay close attention to Judy to see her reaction, unaware that her friend was prepared for the announcement and had steeled herself in order to hide her genuine feelings.

"This year's King-"

"-is….."

The room waited with bated breath, a few of the more popular bucks smoothing their ears back in hope they would get to wear the crown.

"Nick-"

"-Wilde!"

With the amount of noise echoing off the walls it was amazing that no rabbits went deaf from the cheering. Nick pushed himself off the wall and headed for the stage, offering a few 'royal' waves to the room, his smug grin plastered wide on his muzzle. His confident acceptance came off more towards his not inconsiderable ego rather than having any knowledge of the outcome beforehand.

Sharla, who had trained her eyes on her bunny friend, was unable to discern any real hint of shock, pleasure, or admiration coming from her. Instead she was treated to a light smattering of clapping from small gray paws.

"Good for him I suppose."

"You don't seem all that surprised."

"Well," Judy leaned back adopting a look of nonchalance, "it's no secret that he's popular, is it? The fact that a lot of students voted for him isn't coming out of left field. Bet half my sisters put his name in the box."

"Hmph." Sharla was more than a little frustrated by that answer since it did nothing to reveal any of Judy's thoughts on the matter. "Who do you think will be announced Queen?"

_I know exactly who it is, you scheming sheep,_  she thought while grinning inwardly.  _You bad ewe, you._ "No idea. Though they are gonna be stuck dancing with that arrogant tod which will be funny to see."

Up on stage Nick had bowed down and accepted the crown being placed on his head. It was more suited for the size of a buck so it fit between his ears rather than around them but it sat well enough. He had claimed his spray-painted metal chair as his 'throne' and sat with a regal air around him.

The Juniper twins moved back into place around the microphone stand and made a great show of opening an envelope.

"This year's Queen-"

"-is…."

This time it was a much larger amount of bunnies that leaned in hopefully. It was no surprise that so many does wanted the chance to be up on stage with the handsome vulpine and Judy noted with amusement that at least a dozen of her own siblings were among the group.

"JUDY HOPPS!" They cried out together.

Though her childhood acting had been rather miserable, Judy had made sure to practice her reaction in the mirror in case she was being scrutinized by her friend sitting next to her, which was a smart move considering that ended up being the case. Her look of shock seemed extremely genuine and she added to the effect by shrinking back into her chair.

"Me?!" she squeaked out. Sharla, ecstatic that her plan had gone through without a hitch, promptly pulled her friend out of the chair and gave her a shove towards the stage. The noise for her was just as loud as it had been for Nick though she couldn't help but see several glares from her sisters as they politely applauded.

Nervously, at least it seemed to everyone else, Judy approached the stairs leading up to the stage where two identical does waited with a thin crown in their paws. As tradition dictated, the gray bunny went and stood in front of her own 'throne' before bowing to accept the circlet over her ears. Expecting something plastic it was with an actual jump of surprise when she felt cold metal on her fur.  _Darn. Never realized how heavy this thing actually was._ Taking her seat, she kept her eyes on the crowd before her rather than look towards her fox. She had a feeling she would not be able to contain her excitement if she did.

"Give it up for-"

"-your King-"

"-and Queen!"

Loud and rapid thumps could be heard and felt across the gymnasium as hundreds rabbits drummed their hind paws on the floor. Gideon had been smart and pulled his paws off the wood beneath his feet. The year before he felt as if his teeth were going to rattle right out of his head. Sharla would have done the same but was too excited to remember and was treated to her hooves clacking around and legs starting to tingle before she too yanked them up.

"DANCE!" Sharla's bellow quickly caught on leading to the whole student body to begin chanting "DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE!"

"Sounds like-"

"-the masses have-"

"-spoken! Bobby, if you-"

"-please."

Giving the twins a mock salute, Bobby Catmull stepped back up to his DJ table and selected the song planned for the evening. It had been a rather amusing choice he thought to himself but when Sharla got an idea in her head it was best to go along with it and she had been quite adamant that this one was to be played.

A lone russet paw with large shades of black appeared before the bunny, palm up and beckoning for her to take it. A lump in her throat began to form but Judy bravely pushed past it and grasped her fox's paw and stood. Nary a sound was heard as the two mammals made their way down from the stage, the center of the floor lit with a spotlight aimed just so. All around the couple, students formed the customary ring keeping everyone's attention focused solely on them. It seemed a strange sight to see two mammals with such a difference striding side by side. Nick towered over Judy, standing nearly twice her height, yet there was no awkwardness between the two of them.

Judy did her best to keep her expression neutral though it was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. Anticipation was eating away at her as the two of them reached the spotlight. Nick took the lead and reached down to grasp her paws in his own. Because of their size difference he knew that a traditional stance would not be possible without looking ridiculous and potentially causing them to fall over. So instead he pulled her close enough that she could place her feet on top of his. It only raised her up a little but it would be enough for them to dance together.

Bobby cued the music and sat back with a grin of his own.

["Love will find a way" - Lion King 2]

The fox and bunny paused for a moment and looked at each other. Judy shook her head as they both whispered "Sharla" with a small chuckle escaping Nick's maw and Judy tittering in response.

Letting her ears fall down along her back and leaning into her fox, Judy relished the feel of being close to him once more. The faint scent of his musk drew her in further and soon she was resting her head on his chest, her small arms circling around his back as much as she could reach. There was no possibility that it looked anything less than intimate but she really did not care. She was there to dance with her Nicholas and that was the only thing on her mind.

Nick's own arms wrapped closely around her shoulders and let his paws hang down her back. He too was also enjoying his partner's scent, his muzzle laying along the top of her head as they swayed together. All too soon the end of the song neared and their dance began to slow.

"I'm so done with this," she whispered. To anyone who heard her it seemed more that she was finished with dancing and wanted the fox to let her go. Nick however knew what her true intention was.

"I think we both are. Are you sure, Fluff?" He wanted to make absolutely certain there was no doubt in her mind. He needn't have worried though as her head lifted and violet eyes burned into his with a passion.

Instead of answering, Judy coiled her legs and leapt up into the air, bringing them face to face. Nick reflexively caught her with both paws under her rear as two strong legs wrapped around his chest. A moment that could have been as long as a day passed between them before Judy pressed her lips to the fox's own and kissed him hard.

Where the room had been quiet before, silence fell completely. Even the music, as if it were aware of what was happening, ended in that moment. Dozens of jaws fell open and hundreds of eyes widened. One mammal though was gleeful beyond all imagination.

Pushing her way towards the front, Sharla emerged to watch as the couple kissed passionately. She felt the urge to leap into the air and cry in success when something caught her eye. The way the two held each other. How there was no hesitation between the two of them and how their muzzles met in a way that was neither awkward nor new which, given their differences should be impossible. Something that only familiarity would accomplish. A realization swept over her and nearly caused her knees to buckle.

As Nick and Judy separated and looked at one another, they felt eyes on them from every direction. Ignoring them all, they looked towards the sheep who stumbled into the circle and stood directly next to them.

"You-…you two…" she stammered, unable to get the words out.

"You okay, Sharla?" Judy asked sweetly.

"You two! Are you already a  _thing?!"_ Both Judy and Nick glanced at each other before turning back to the ewe. Judy nodded happily making the sheep rock backwards. "How long?!" she demanded to know.

Judy stared at her friend with an almost mischievous grin on her lips. "Before last summer."

Sharla froze. All of her theories and the hints she had seen over the past few months had been true. "I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post A/N: And that's a wrap! I really hope everyone enjoyed the story and the ending was worth waiting for. (Damn college. Writing fanfic should be an offered elective so I have time to do this). It's been a hell of a ride and such a wonderful story of fluff that I wish it never ended, but all things must and I feel this was a perfect time. Thank you all for taking the trip with me.
> 
> Future News: I have another AU story in progress that I think everyone will like. No release date yet but hopefully it will be in the next few weeks. TTFN. Ta-Ta For Now!


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